


One falls, more rise

by Congar



Series: One falls anthology [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Gen, Post-Endgame, Post-Undertale Pacifist Route, True Ending Spoilers, Underground, Undertale Monsters on the Surface
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-07
Updated: 2016-09-22
Packaged: 2018-06-06 08:14:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 114,064
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6746278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Congar/pseuds/Congar
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Same thing day out and day in. Your life is standing still and the future holds nothing to you. One morning you feel something. You can't put your finger on it but it fills you with energy. Today is the day you remember your promise. You'll get back on your feet and turn your life back around. This is the promise you made and with newfound strength you will keep it. The legends of Mt Ebott awaits you, all you have to do is climb it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. One falls

""Screw it. This, this is the day!" you say to yourself as you wake up.

This self pity has to stop, you have to move on with your life. You can't stay inside your house forever, you made a promise. It is a beautiful day outside, so maybe you should take a jog to freshen up your mind. Some exercise to mark a new chapter in your life? Sounds good to you.

Huh, strange.

You thrust yourself out of your bed and rush down to the kitchen to get some breakfast.

After a quick one you scour the hallway closet for your running shoes. You smile as you manage to get them on your feet. The excitement of doing something is a feeling you've almost forgotten, and the smile stays as you lock the door. As you round the street corner you find some wild flowers and stop to pick them up. White and yellow flowers, mom's favorite. You decide that it might be a good idea to tell your family about the start of your new chapter.

The iron gate squeaks as you open it. You look around to make sure that you're alone and walk up to your family.

"Hey mom, dad, bro, sis. Long time no see."

The wind shakes a nearby aspen. It sounds like whispers, they greet you back.

"Listen, I know I've been, absent. I also know I said that I would visit you more often and I'm sorry about that. There's been a lot on my mind these past months. Truth be told, this is my weekly exit out of the house."

Another gust of wind shakes the tree harder.

"I promised to not let it impact me, didn't I? Well, you're not here to correct me," you say with a fake snicker, "but this is the day. Today I'm gonna turn my life around. I plan to take a jog up Mt. Ebott to clear my head, and then we'll see what happens. Hopefully the next time we talk I'll have a job. "

You lay the flowers down.

"Love you all."

You turn around and take the exit that opens towards the mountain. The iron gate squeaks as you close it. You choose the nearby sign as the starting point for your jog.

"Mt. Ebott graveyard," you read out loud.

You breathe out a sigh and start your run.

As you reach the base of the mountain you wonder if the secret passageway your mother told you about is still there. The path is overgrown and you have to fight some stubborn branches to see the start of it. It is a tiny path, almost unrecognizable because of how rarely it's used. You wager that you're the first one to use it in years, hopefully you remember the general direction it leads to. It is a very serene path, untamed forest grow on both sides creating a tunnel of green. The shadows from the leafs above you meld together into a layer of gray on the ground as the sun disappears behind the clouds. The wind picks up around you, but you're isolated from it under the trees. Despite the low visibility you still carry on.

While you steadily climb the mountain you begin to wonder about the legend surrounding the mountain, that people that climb it never return. Perhaps a small part of you want to see if that's true. You shake that idea away, you made a promise. Besides, you've been up there a couple of times with your parents and you've made it down safely. The legends could just be that, legends. Despite the idea sticking even after your effort to shake it loose, you still carry on.

A couple of minutes later you start to feel the sun peeking out from its hiding spot and the path turns into a kaleidoscope of green, brown, and orange. Sun shafts dance above you, moving as you do. You see the veins of the leafs. You take a deep breath and remind yourself that this was a good idea. The sun wastes no time warming your surroundings, and you feel yourself working up a bigger sweat than before. You curse yourself for not bringing any water. Despite the lack of hydration you still carry on.

The mountain shakes and you lose your balance. Earthquake? Here? How? The mountain is as steady as, well, a mountain. It has never moved for as long as you can remember. You can't come up with any logical explanation. It also feels like you've been drained of something. You feel, tired, but not really. It's not exhaustion it is something else, something inside of you. You wonder if you've gone to far. Despite the danger you still carry on.

The plateau creeps closer and closer as the sun starts to set. You feel exhaustion take over and every step becoming harder, but you can't give up now. You're so close! A few minutes of heavy breathing later the ground flattens and your steps become easier to take. The sun is now at the horizon and you push yourself as hard as you can so that you can reach the plateau in time.

You swing your tired legs over the edge as you sit down and lean back on your arms. The view is as great as you remember. The setting sun bathes the town in a glistering orange and like long brushes of black paint the shadows of the buildings stretch out towards you. The forest below you turns from green to a color you can't really name but it's nice regardless of what you might call it so you leave the thought behind you. You have to squint your eyes as the sun stares you in the face but you still manage to enjoy the sight. The light eventually becomes too much and you lay down instead to enjoy the warmth. You breathe a pleased sigh and close your eyes.

You're awoken from your rest by a faint voice. You stand up and call it out but you don't get an answer. You focus your hearing and manage to trace its origin a bit further away. You walk closer and round a cliff. A dark mouth invites you inside an even darker cave. You call out the voice again. The cave goes silent for a second before an answer echoes out. You can't make out the words and your curiosity gets the best of you. You enter.

The cave is warmer than you thought. Your eyes struggle to find shapes and you tread carefully, although you can't see them you can feel rocks and stalagmites cluttering the cave floor. You call out the voice a third time, this time you ask them if they're hurt. Another silence follows and the answer comes as a high pitched yell. Someone is definitely in trouble. You quicken your pace even though you fear that you might trip. Your eyes start adjusting themselves to the low light and you manage to spot a small figure deeper inside the cave.

"You lost kid? Come, let's get out of here," you shout out.

"LOOK, A HUMAN HAS COME TO GREET US AND WELCOME US TO THE SURFACE! THIS TRULY IS A JOYOUS DAY!" says another, much taller, figure. You're taken back by the pitch and volume of the voice.

"Now Papyrus, we need to be careful with out first impression," instructs another voice. It is soft and warm.

"yeah, don't want to make a barrier now that we've just destroyed one," says a third. It follows up its quip with a pleased laugh.

"Hello?" you ask the crowd before you.

"it can speak. ain't that something?" says the third voice again.

"Now now, let me take care of this," says a fourth voice with a commanding authority. It is filled with care though.

It steps out into the slit of sunlight from outside. You scramble backwards as you see its visage. Two huge horns stand tall on a goat's head and a purple drape obscures a thick and ornate breastplate. It towers over you as it gets closer and stops a couple of steps away. It lifts out a hand. A dangerous looking trident flashes as its robe moves from the motion of its arm. You scurry back on your feet and rush towards the exit. In your haste you trip over a vine and fall down. You brace yourself for the impact but you fail to see the sharp stone under you. You hit your head, hard.

"Good job Asgore! One minute outside the barrier and you've already killed a human," says an angry voice, its soft features are nowhere to be heard.

"I, I thought," comes an answer. The voice is filled with regret.

"No, you didn't," retorts the angry voice.

"Th-they're still breathing! Let's get t-them outside so I can treat the wound," stammers another voice.

"Undyne, help me with the human," commands the angry voice.

Darkness absorbs your vision.


	2. More rise

"The view is great up here."

You think you recognize that voice.

"Sure is. Look at all the colors."

You don't feel cold. In fact, you're quite warm.

"Look over there, a town."

Your vision is completely white and blurry.

"Maybe this one is from there? Let's wait until they've awakened."

That voice, there's something familiar about it. Motherly is the only word you can describe it with. You feel something pushing against your head. Is that...a bandage? As you examine the bandage with your fingers you feel something wet. You look at your blurry hand. Something red covers it. Blood!

"LUCKILY FOR THEM FRISK HAD A BANDAGE!"

What happened! Where are you? You feel nauseous.

"in your case it would be a bonedage, bro."

Something is thumping inside your head. You aren't sure if it is your injury or the joke.

"Th-th-they hit their head pretty hard. A concussion is p-pretty likely, I think."

"How about we splash them with water? That works pretty good for me. Right, Frisk?"

The voice follows up with a thick laugh.

"No!"

The laughter stops.

"S-s-sorry. I mean, they are unconscious, and they could drown if we're unlucky."

"i would say that they would be more unluckier."

Your eyes remember how to focus and you shift your gaze towards the voices. You catch your mouth with your hand to stop it from screaming. Before you stands seven beings. Two skeletons, a blue woman with fins instead of ears, a dinosaur in a coat. Questions rattle of in your head like popcorn until they are all struck down by fear. On each side of the group stands two large goat like creatures with large horns. There's a human among them, a child. There's something familiar about them.

You lay quietly and try to find an opportunity to escape. Someone said something and the row bursts out into laughs, this is your chance. You scramble up on your feet and charge towards the corner. The thumping in your head grows stronger and blood pours down your cheeks. Your lungs are aching but you're filled with such fear and confusion that you don't acknowledge them. The only thing on your head is run. Run home, you're safe there. You dodge trees and bushes as fast as you can but you can only dodge so fast. Twigs hit your face and you catch a mouthful of leaves. You spit them out as silently as you can. Finally the plateau reaches a point where you can run downhill. It's in worse shape than the path leading upward but still you press on! You must! Quick! Before they spot you!

You manage a bit down the road before a sound startles you. You manage to keep your footing and you search for the source. A nearby bush rumbles, and as you turn to brace yourself for whatever it is, you're assaulted by a white and fluffy dog. It knocks you off balance before diving into the bushes on the other side. You crash down on some flowers, knocking dirt and petals up in the air. Pollen enters your eyes and they tear up. You scream in pain as you rub them. Bad decision.

"There they are your majesty! I'll run after them and bring them back to you."

"Alive please, we're starting a new chapter. Remember that, Undyne."

"Of course, your majesty. Now, HUMAN!"

Through watery eyes you detect something blue materialize besides something bluer.

"Prepare to be retrieved! NGAAAH!"

Again you scramble on your feet and run.

The path flattens out and you see the edges of your hometown basking in the afternoon sun. For the first time in what seems like an eternity you're happy to see it. You can't savor the moment for too long as the blue creature is catching up to you. Fast. Inhumanely fast! You become aware of this fact when you hear a delighted war cry coming down the cliff. You can't pinpoint its exact location because of all the trees but you still prepare yourself for the last sprint. It feels like there's more lactic acid than blood in your veins but still. You have to give it your all now! And then some! But that's still not enough!

"This is a great warm up human! We should jog like this! Together, up and down, until our legs collapse from sheer exhaustion. Then we can crawl instead. When our arms stop working, we can worm our way up. Arms, legs and core, all on the same hill. Then we go higher up, less oxygen, and therefore more efficient training. The cold will steel us as well. NGAAAH! The Surface is great!"

The creature chasing you doesn't seem to need to breathe considering the amount of rambling it starts yelling as soon as it sees you. She is now in hearing distance and you aren't in safe-in-house distance. She will catch up with you, you've no doubt about that. Still, you have to focus on running! The ramblings soon turns into questions about nearby gyms and martial arts clubs.

"Are they just hand to hand or is there some with weapons involved? Can we spar? Again, do you do hand to hand, or weapon?"

You sure like a weapon right about now.

A spear lands right beside you and you almost trip over it. A second spear crashes before you and you clumsily avoid it.

"Third times the charm!" you hear before a spear slips between your legs and trips you.

Your arms scrape against the pavement. Dirt and asphalt covers your lips and you hear footsteps getting closer. You raise your head, the familiar red paint of your house stand in contrast to the green color of the overgrown lawn that you've been ignoring. You're so goddamn close now, just a few steps!

"Now let's see what Asgore wants with you. I bet that he would like to NGAAH."

With some great effort, you turn your body against the voice. A dog, the same dog that attacked you is now lodged against the face of your pursuer, licking it. Muffled screams mixed with laughter is heard. You waste no time and quickly rush the last hundred meters and frisk your body looking for the key. To your immense relief, you find it, and you open the door before hastily closing it behind you. The lock clicks, but to be extra safe, you press up a nearby table up against the door. With it in place you finally breathe out. The echo of your harsh breathing is bouncing around your hallway. Just the process of breathing out is making you faint, but now you're safe. Finally! But what now? Water, water quick and plenty. You turn your tired body towards the kitchen. Water! Now!

You can see the gray tiles of your kitchen and the metal of your sink. The inviting cold waiting in your refrigerator and your red mop resting against it. How can a mop bob up and down like that? Your mop is also gray, not red. How did it?

"No, please, no," you cry out.

The mop leans backwards and is followed by the blue hue of an arm seeking rest on the refrigerator door. The blue creature pokes out from behind the refrigerator door.

"It was a close race, wasn't it? Good thinking by opening the back window, we don't want to raise too much suspicion right?" it says while smiling, exposing its long and sharp teeth, but not in a threatening way. "Let's grab a bite to eat and then we'll run back up. Not too fast though, we wouldn't want to get the cramps now would we?" it continues as its head disappears back into the refrigerator.

"No, no, no, no! I'm home! I'm safe!" you scream.

Her head comes back out just in time to see you drop to your knees in a mess of sobs and tears. There's nothing left in you.

"Hm, I guess I can just bring the gang back here if it's OK with you? Seems to be plenty of space," she says with a considerably softer tone. "Somewhat secluded as well what with the jungle in your backyard. You sure you weren't expecting us?"

Her smile returns.

"Water," you answer.

"Sure thing."

She closes the refrigerator and walks towards the pile of dishes you call a sink. Somehow she manages to fit a glass under the faucet without it lodging on something. The sound of pouring water brings you to near ecstasy. The sun is refracting in both the glass and the water as she brings it closer to you. She kneels down and her reassuring smile fills you with happiness. You catch just a moderate amount of water in your mouth as she splashes it against your face. You weren't prepared for the speed of the life giving liquid, and the sound of coughs, and other involuntary reflexes, bounces through the dirty kitchen.

"Oh no, I'm so- I mean, it always works on me."

"Water!" you plead in between coughs.

"Yes, yes! Of course!"

You catch your breath more in thanks to having tasted the water and less to your stamina when another glass is brought before you. You lift a heavy hand that becomes heavier with a full glass in it. It shakes with your hand as your strength is nowhere to be found. The shatter is dampened by the water in it, and the water pools into a mocking puddle next to your knees.

"Oh! Here have mine," the blue creature offers after filling another glass. She puts the glass against your lip. The taste of dirt and pavement is washed away in a wave of cold and purity.

"More!" you demand harshly.

She nods, ignoring the tone of your voice. This repeats for two more times before a pot is dug up from the pile of porcelain and metal. You're impressed that she manages to do that without spelunking equipment. The pot is brought before you literally spilling with cold and precious hydration. There are few things you would classify as religious and this might take a spot on that list. You drink, you gasp for air, you drink again. This goes on until the pot is empty.

"Better?" she asks.

The irony of a fish giving a human water on land is dancing inside your head. You look up to thank the fish out of water, to give you. She looks at you with her eyes, no, eye. Her singular eye. The other one is covered with a black patch. You're ashamed that you only now noticed that, but it's understandable considering the dirt, sweat, tears, and water in your eyes. Your plural eyes. You push away the thought and force out a thank you. The face covering smile returns.

"No problem, but next time you should take it a little slower. I don't want to spar with someone who's not at their full strength," she laughs out and gives you a pat on the back. You fall over and the sound of damp cloth hitting wood fills the empty house. Luckily you missed the shards of broken glass.

"Oh, I didn't mean to do that, honestly," the blue creature apologises with some panic in her voice.

"Why are you doing this?" you answer with your face on the cold floor.

"Because Asgore wanted you alive, and I can't bring a corpse to him. Not anymore."

"Then why did he attack me?"

"What are you talking about?"

"He had a weapon! He was going to attack me. He reached for it as he approached me."

Now she really is a fish out of water. Dumbfounded she stares at you trying to make sense of the nonsense you're speaking. You're surprised how low her eyebrows reach. Her hand is scratching the lobe over her eye patch. It sounds unfamiliar, claw against scale.

"Then you ran after me, I thought I could escape but-"

A howl of laughter stops you in the middle of your sentence. It continues for a while and you start to become annoyed that she interrupted you in the middle of a sentence. Finally the laughter secedes and now it's her turn to be out of breath.

"You're serious?" she asks while giggling.

"Of course I am," you spit back.

"Then what about this?"

She presses a finger against your bandage and you moan in pain.

"That is what a concussion looks and feels like," she explains while rubbing the blood from her fingers, "We thought you would die, it was a pretty nasty fall. Asgore just wanted to greet you, nothing else."

Your world starts spinning while her laughter reignites. You can't make sense of anything anymore. You feel your entire body argue against you and there's nothing else you can do except cry. An arm takes hold of you, relieving the burden of a having to support your body from you.

"Come now, you should get some rest. Where do you sleep?"

"Upstairs, second door to the left, after the bathroom," you say with your tired lungs.

"Good, some upper body training as well."

Despite her slim appearance she carries you without any argument. You feel your skin rubbing against her scales, it hurts a bit. You are more aware of the fact that you're covering her with your sweat, but your crutch seem to pay no mind to it. She stops in front of your front door and pulls a table leg with her own. The table understands what she wants and follows her on to the ground. She nods at it, and lifts one foot onto the first step.

"Do you mind if I do some squats on each step?"

You answer incomprehensibly.

"I understand. I won't."

She escalates quickly and opens the door you described with her knee. Once inside the master bedroom, she pushes away the bedding with the heel of her foot.

"Sorry about the stain, I'll clean it tomorrow."

The stain is nothing compared to the amount of sweat you bring with you. Like a baby she lays you down on the soft fabric being extra careful with your head.

"I'm just gonna make some calls then I will right back. Don't worry, I won't let you sleep alone with a concussion."

"Thank you," you manage to whisper.

"Don't sweat it," she says while failing to hold back her grin.

Even though you are repulsed by the contents of the joke you are comforted by the gesture. A thin slice of the afternoon sun is all that she leaves after leaving the room. It slashes at an angle across your chest. You close your eyes, feeling the stickiness of dried sweat locking them together.

"Make sure to bring a first aid kit, I could look around but I don't want to leave them. Just bring one to be sure."

A guardian fish. You picture her with wings and a halo. The image doesn't surprise you.

You can live with that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Thanks to the wonderful BlackRazorBill for their rendition of the chase scene.](http://blackrazorbill.tumblr.com/post/152741748012/smells-like-sweaty-sushi-from-the-fanfiction)


	3. Blood, sweat, and tears

"There has been a complication. A splinter of bone in her chest has been infected. You see, the splinter functioned as a sort of capsule, holding the bacteria inside it. The infection was contained whilst we had her on our antibiotics, but since you requested that she would continue her treatment at home we tried to acclimate her to more general antibiotics that you could get yourself."

"I understand," you answer as you try to hold back your tears.

"As the bacteria grew they consumed the splinter, and a piece of it broke and lodged itself inside her heart. We are doing everything we can, but her body is so exhausted. She doesn't have any reserves in her. I've put her on the donor list but there is a chance that the infection could spread, she is showing decreased lung capacity. We've medicated her for that. "

"Can I see her?"

"She should be stable enough for you to visit her, but we've moved her to a clean room. Please follow me."

The clean room is stale and devoid of emotion. You feel the tears build up just being there.

"Can I come home soon?" she asks.

"Of course sis, I've talked with the doctors and you should be home by the start of next month," you lie. Why? Why did you lie?

She is overjoyed and her laughter spills out into the hospital corridor.

Maybe that's why...

"Thank you, thank you, thank you," she yells as she jumps into your awaiting arms.

"Anything for you. I love you so much," you answer back. You want to stroke her hair, but the way she looks...

No! Finally you can start over, the both of you. You savor the moment, feeling her laughter against your shoulder. But there is something else, something wet. You look at her. Tears? Of joy? You lift her before you. No, not of joy.

"What is it?" you ask.

"My chest!" she screams. Her hands are clutching her hospital robe with strength she shouldn't have!

You're startled by the beeps, the innumerous beeps. All around you.

"Nurse! Doctor!" you call.

But no one comes.

Nothing! No one is here. Just you, her, and the machines. Numbers are appearing on them but their meaning is lost on you.

"Nurse! Doctor! Anyone!" you call again. Your fear scares her. She doesn't understand! You two were supposed to come back together!

You hear footsteps and the rattling of drawers behind you. Her doctor is here! She'll be safe. You are pushed aside as two nurses rush to the machines and IV drip. Her face is getting paler, but she still looks at you. You try to smile reassuringly, but you can feel it fail. A pair of paddles are brought towards her gray body. They discharge, causing her body to convulse and thrust upward. She is still looking at you. Another discharge follows and-

You lunge yourself up, tearing a hole in the bedding where your sweat had dried up. New sweat loosen the tight grip your clothes have accumulated during the night. Some hair follows with your cover as you throw it aside and swing your legs over the bedside. They are as stiff as the legs of your bed. You search for a corner of the bedding on your back and peel it off. It sounds like a zipper being undone. You rest your heavy head in your hands.

"Fuck."

You sit in silence. The slice of sunshine slices the bottom of the bed at an angle. Everything is unpleasant, old sweat is being mixed with new sweat and spreading an odor that clashes with the stench of old gym bag already present in the room. You take a few minutes to collect yourself from that horrible memory. It takes longer than you would've wanted but you finally muster enough strength to stand up.

Your knees grind like gravel but you demand that they obey. Luckily they soften up as you walk down the corridor. You take the stairs two steps at a time and swing around the corner, hand on the railing. The wood floor is quite slippery and you can get some distance just gliding with the momentum from the descent down the stairs. You do just that, gripping the golden ornament, your fingers matches perfectly on the weathering of your previous swings. You bend your arm to increase speed and take the jump. Once you feel the edge of the railing with your fingers you let go, landing on your dry socks and glide towards the kitchen. You usually average halfway between the sink and the refrigerator, just below the cabinet where the cereals are.

"Maybe the freezer," you think, you did hit the corner pretty well.

Out of the side of the doorway you see a yellow and scaly nose, then a pair of glasses, then a white coat. It's carrying a kettle and headings towards the cabinets. Presumably it's looking for either tea or coffee. She sees you too late to move but not too late to react. A high pitched squeal is produced by the hunched over lizard as you approach with record speed. You raise your arms to catch the scaly creature but in your effort to brace against the hit you forget about the threshold between the rooms. You trip with your arms halfway around the coat. You instinctively close your arms dragging the terrified bundle of squeal down. You glide on the floor and your wet skin leaves a stretch of moisture after you. Her spikes are bouncing on the bottom cupboards like a stick on a fence. Her path is also wet, though from tears and not to the extent of yours. You grind to a halt, your skin is red from the friction against the cold tile. You look at your unwilling partner in this tango of confusion.

Her hands are covering her face, the tail is curled up under her legs and up on her stomach and sobs can be heard. You both jolt when you hear the kettle make a swan dive into the pile of dishes, now a pile of white and translucent shards. You both react by squeezing each other, drawing each other closer. She smells like, pink. You can't really place the smell. You're pretty sure she can smell you, gray, just like the tiles. After a couple of uncomfortably intimate seconds you lock eyes. You both release your titan grip from each other and awkwardly shuffle apart.

"i've heard of ice skating but never of tile skating," a voice observes, pleased with itself.

A pair of slippers with a wide arrangement of condiments steps into the kitchen followed by a pair of legs, very pale legs mind you, bone white, bone, no flesh, just bone. Following the, shins, comes a pair of sport shorts with an even wider arrangement of condiments. A pair of bony hands, again, just bones, are tucked nicely inside the pockets. A blue jacket is hanging over the top halves of the shorts and a white shirt. Maybe it was white, you can't tell by the somehow even wider collection of ketchup, mustard and relish, to name a few. The dome of this peculiar individual is round, like a melon with a corset in the middle. Two empty sockets examine you. They are dark but not in that cave like dark, more like the darkness between the stars in the night sky. They lock with yours and a star ignites in each socket, completing your metaphor. Their smile, which has never left their face, in fact it takes up the majority of the real estate, grows wider. The arms leave the comfort of their pockets and arise above his shoulders, flats up.

"you seemed troubled, skeletons in your closet? kitchen in your case."

"Skeleton, there's a skeleton in my kitchen!" you scream inside.

"D-don't do that Sans, we don't want to spook them. Cut i-it out."

"And a lizard too?" you yell, outside this time.

You back up as fast as you can staring at the creatures in your kitchen. An open cupboard denies your escapes as a corner is buried inside your elbow. The pain is bad, but not as bad as the scream you release.

"better?" the smiling skeleton asks hands back into their respective pockets.

"Yes," you reply, breathing through clenched teeth.

"good to hear," he says. He turns on his heels and disappears into the living room.

As you sit there, holding your arm, you turn your eyes towards the crumpled up ball of scale and coat. Their tail in their hands like a blanket, tugged up against their cheeks. Before you can apologize for your outrage you hear the sound of wet scales against floor. Where the skeleton stood moments ago now stands another being. A towel covers her body, red hair covers her head and face and a blue plasma like spear is covering her right hand.

"I heard fighting, shattering and pained screams. The first two I can understand but the third one caught my ear," she asks while breathing heavily.

She then snaps her gaze towards the lizard.

"Alphys, what did I tell you?"

She points at you with her spear.

"The human should be in bed!"

"Th-the-they were, but I thought that I would surprise it by bringing them some tea," the lizard stammers out while tapping two claws together.

"You left them?"

The spear grows larger and more unstable

"S-s-sorry, I-I just wanted to make a good first impression, not like what I did with Frisk."

The tail now has to double as a blanket and tissue paper. You take pity over the miserable pile of snot and tears.

"Oh, Alphee." The spear sizzles away. "I'm sorry, I overreacted. But we can't kill the first human we see here. Like Asgore said, new chapter you know."

You understand that you're not part of the conversation. They are talking about you, not to you.

"Come on now," she says with the same comforting tone she had yesterday.

You remember now. The mountain, the cave, the creatures and the run back down. What was her name again? You strain yourself trying to figure it out.

"T-thank you Undyne, I understand."

"Undyne! Yes, I remember now," you shout.

You scare them as much as you scare yourself. After a long silence Undyne finally breaks out in a laugh.

"Well, it looks to be alive so I'm letting you off the leash, Alphee. Why don't you fix with that tea while I dress?" she says before kissing Alphys on the forehead. Alphys' face turns red. Undyne gives you a hand and lifts you up on your feet.

"Aren't reptiles cold blooded?" you ask yourself.

"One more and you'll start owing me," Undyne informs as she dusts off your shoulder.

"I guess so. Is the shower free? I need some time to, process."

"as long as you keep it locked inside the bathroom it will never be free," comes a voice from the living room.

Undyne rolls her eye.

"That's Sans. Have you met him? Short, blue jacket."

"And a skeleton?" you add.

"Yup, he the reason you screamed?"

"Yes, and no," you admit after debating with yourself whether you should.

"We'll talk it over lunch OK? Go and enjoy that shower. I'll let you rest today, but tomorrow." She bumps your shoulder. "We're going to spar."

"Actually I wouldn't recommend any more head injuries," Alphys chips in.

"Fine, two days."

"Um."

"Three days!" Undyne puts her foot down. Loudly. "That's long enough Alphee."

"I've read that effects from a concussion can manifest even after years. I just want to make sure. D-didn't you say that we shouldn't kill the first human we meet?"

Another squeal is thrown around the kitchen, but this time from Undyne.

"Alphee! I'm so proud! You stood up for yourself."

"Did I? S-s-orry Undyne," Alphys apologizes while cowering in shame.

"No, don't apologize. We've talked about this."

"N-next time Undyne. I promise."

"Good," Undyne's smile says.

She leaves you and Alphys standing in the kitchen.

"S-s-so where do you keep the tea?" the yellow lizard wonders while struggling to maintain eye contact.

"Hm? Sorry, yes, in the top cabinet," you explain as you make your way towards the stairs.

"The t-top cabinet?"

"Yes, the one just left of the refrigerator," you reply from the hallway.

"Oh, OK, thanks."

You realize why she asked and smack your forehead. To make it up for her, you kindly ask what flavor she and the other likes as you walk back towards her.

"Golden Flower tea is a favorite among us."

"Never heard of it," you reply as you open the cabinet. A collection of herbal smells hits you like a wave.

"Um, what do you have then, human?"

You arrange a row of different flavors on the tabletop.

"These."

She examines the different flavors.

"I'm sure I can figure something out, thank you."

You nod and exit the kitchen and as you round the corner you hear a high pitched voice yelling at someone.

"SANS YOU LAZY SACK OF BONES! UNDYNE SAID THAT THE HUMAN WOULD BE HUNGRY! HELP ME COOK UP SOME HEALTHY SPAGHETTI! THEY'LL NEED IT TO RECOVER THEIR STRENGTH!"

"nah, i'll just hold down the fort. the pillow fort that is."

"SAAAANS!"

"If he gets a single piece of ketchup on that sofa I swear," you say to yourself. Later! Deal with it later. Just take that damn shower. That is what you need now, not worrying about ketchup on that fine leather sofa. You take two steps at a time up the stairs now that your knees are a bit less stiffer.

The shower is a welcoming sight. It's still somewhat steamy from the previous user, but your head is too tired to imagine how that went. You grab the bottom of your shirt and pull it up. It feels like peeling an extra layer of skin. Your legs are still a bit sore from the bed.

Wait...

When did they remove your pants? Fortunately your underwear is still on, but still. You dump your clothes on top of your overflowing laundry basket and step inside the shower. You close the curtain. Alone, at last. You flick the temperature knob back into it's starting position. The process is all reflex so you don't catch what temperature Undyne was using. You place your other hand on the other knob and flick it to max. A small amount of water from the shower before you hits your back. It's wonderful. Then the full force of the shower hits you. It's perfect. You feel a door closing beneath you.

"Let's see if I can sort this out," you think to yourself. "First thing first, I'm not dead, and I'm home, in my shower, with a bunch of characters below me."

Steam fills your bathroom.

"They seem harmless enough," you add.

"But what about the trident?" you rebuke.

"I'm concussed, remember?" you counter. "It felt real, and I don't know how I'll react if i see him again. Let's cross that bridge when we get to it."

You feel your hair finally separating from itself and drag a hand through it. You twist the shower head so you can lean against the wall and shower at the same time. You also unwrap your bandage, noticing that it's not the same one that you had yesterday. It's white and pink with a picture of a cartoon cat in a doctor's outfit. The detail is surprisingly clear for a bandage. You jerk the last part covering your injury, causing it to bleed a bit, and throw the bandage over the curtain towards the bathroom sink. You pinch your nose bridge.

"Who are they really, they came from that cave. From below? Under the mountain? Didn't they have a child with them?" you try to remember.

You swear that you've heard or read about something that rings familiar, but you can't really put your finger on it. You hear the sound of porcelain hitting porcelain. Are they digging through the dishes again?

The whooshing of the downstairs toilet being flushed disprove your theory, and replaces it with the theory of old plumbing. A torrent of cold water speeds up the pipes diverging into the downstairs and upstairs bathroom. Normally the upstairs water just hits a lock, and flow into an overflow pipe, but since the way is now open it rushes to the upstairs bathroom instead. The cold water replaces the warm comfort of your shower.

The following shock jolts your memory.

"Monsters!" you remember. "They are monsters! Wait, didn't the tales speak of a barrier? How did they escape?"

The water warms up again, and with that, your confidence. You decide that answers are in order, and clean yourself with vigor. As you step out of the bathroom with a towel around your waist your nose alerts you of something mysterious.

"Tomatoes?" you guess.

You take another sniff.

"And meat."

Oh, yeah. The unknown voice claimed that it was making spaghetti. You do feel like you haven't eaten in forever. Lunch and answers. Perfect!

You swing left and enter your bedroom. Inside, you notice that the bedding is missing. You guess that Undyne must have thrown it out, considering the hole that was made in it. You walk towards the wardrobe and pick some simple clothes. The joy of wearing clothes and not being one with them delights you. As you make yourself towards the stairs you hear three powerful knocks. Undyne rushes to answers in your place.

"Come in, your majesties, we're just about done with the lunch."

The door opens with its familiar creak, and is swiftly followed by another creak which sounds like floorboards gasping for help. You also hear something scrape against wood.

"Oh, dear," comments a deep voice.

"Are you serious, Asgore? What did I just say five minutes ago?" a less deep and more soothing voice berates.

"Yes, sorry, dear, I'll fix it later."

"And what did I say about the dear thing?"

"Sorry, Toriel."

You're confused as to why you don't hear any footsteps besides the sounds of small shoes, then it hits you. The bridge is coming up faster than you would've wanted. You take a minute to collect your thoughts and breathe out.

"Let's see what happens when we grab the devil by its horns," you think, and step towards the stairs.


	4. Lunch is served, not cooked

Two beams of light stare at you as you descend the stairs. They originate from two half circles above the front door and you frown at the thought of fixing them. You shift your attention to the clanking of plates and silverware informing you that lunch should be ready any minute now. You figure that the kitchen is probably full of people, monsters, and decide to go through the living room instead to reach the dining area.

The living room is dusty, you've not used it so much since the, accident. There's a skeleton juggling three ketchup bottles without hands for the purpose of entertaining a brown haired child. You rub your eyes and blink. There's a skeleton drinking from a ketchup bottle and the child is reading a book. You wonder what will happen the next time you blink, but as you think that you blink twice without thinking, nothing happens. You let it go.

"Sans, was it?" you address the skeleton.

"it's what everyone else is calling me, so i guess that you can too."

"Did I do something wrong?" you reply. From his manners, it really sounds like you did.

He runs a finger against the armrest.

"living alone in such a big house, i'm curious."

"Yeah?"

He rolls the dirt on his finger into a ball and flicks it away. He then turns to you with vacant eye sockets.

"and all this dust."

He sweeps the back of the sofa, the dust flutters down and sparkle in the midday sun.

"could only come from someone with a lot of EXP."

You don't know what he's talking about, but before you can retort the child gives the skeleton a smack on his shin.

"i wasn't serious, frisk. well, a little bit. just wanted to be sure."

His pupils come back.

"Sure about what?" you ask.

"you being related to an old acquaintance. you look a bit familiar, that's all."

"We've just met."

"and that's why it's strange to me."

The child gives him a harder hit.

"but i guess you're good in our book. let's go, lunch smells ready."

The child follows the skeleton into the dining area. Does it really smell like it's ready? It does smell like spaghetti, but more like leftover rather than freshly made. Also, what the hell was that? Related to who? Who is this skeleton, telling jokes in one instance, and then accusing you of something in the next? More questions for the lunch, you suppose.

The long table is prepared for eight people, but the seating is more spaced out than normal. A window is opened and some grass stain its frame, Undyne's entrance. There's a warm breeze flowing in causing the tablecloth to dance where it's not being weighed down. The dining room is considerably less dustier than the living room because of that window. It's been stuck for three months and you haven't gotten around to fixing it yet.

There is an argument irradiating from the kitchen. Something about the heat of the stove. You assume that there's an argument as you can't make out the words. Just a bunch of nyaas and nyees. Mixed among them are two deep voices talking about something. You think you also detect a faint snore. Your overworked microwave ding, and the kitchen goes quiet.

"BREAD IS DONE! NOW EVERYONE, FOLLOW ME, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, TO THE PLACE WHERE WE WILL FEAST UPON THIS MAGNIFICENT SPAGHETTI!"

You take a seat and notice that all the utensils are ordered with the fork on the right side. You contort your face in annoyance and switch yours.

"i told her the placement was forked up."

You nearly jump out of your seat as you notice that you now have someone on your left side.

"How did you?"

"shortcut."

"But-"

You're interrupted by a delighted yell.

"AH, THE HUMAN IS HERE AS WELL! AMAZING, TRULY A WONDROUS EVENT! NOW, HUMAN, PREPARE YOUR TASTE BUDS FOR THE GLORY OF MY NUTRITIOUS SPAGHETTI!"

A tall skeleton carrying a large tomato stained pot strides from the kitchen with enormous glee in big boots. His length stand in stark contrast to the one sitting next to you, in fact, everything does. Armor instead of clothes. Loud instead of quiet. Scarf instead of...no scarf. The scarf's color is too close to the tomato sauce for your comfort.

"you should seriously prepare, trust me," the smaller one advises.

The pot is placed in the middle of the table and the tall one rounds the table in your direction.

"ALLOW ME, HUMAN!"

He stretches a mitten covered hand towards you.

"Please," you reply, handing him your plate.

"ALWAYS!" he says.

He shoves the teethed spoon deep down the pot with his scarf dangling mere centimeters over the sauce. A huge mess of pasta, half melted tomatoes, and irregular shapes of meat arise with grace and lands with considerably less grace on your plate. His skills seems more fitted in serving the food rather than making it.

"BON APPETIT! I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS BUT I READ IN YOUR COOKBOOK THAT IT'S SOMETHING HUMAN COOKS SAY! SO I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL HONOR THAT TRADITION!" he informs as his cuisine is placed in front of you.

"don't you mean bone appetit, bro?"

A slightly mellow NYEH follows the pun. You examine the food. What is this you've been given? The spaghetti is under cooked and it looks like it's just taken a dip in the water rather than being cooked in it. The tomatoes are just halves, and the meat is thrown in without care. Luckily the meat looks cooked enough. You're too busy staring at the tangled food to see that the rest of the table has been seated. When you tear yourself from the food you see Undyne on your right. Alphys has taken place on the opposite side of you with the child to her right and Papyrus on her left side. On the right end of the table sits a large goat and on the other end sits a larger goat. On a sofa. They must have retrieved it from the cellar while you were showering. The girdle running beneath the floor under the table is preventing any pained sounds from the floor planks. The same can not be said for the sofa, and despite it bending down and lowering its seater a bit it fails to impact his commanding presence.

You realize that you've stalled for too long, and take a bite of your food. The need to chew extra hard on the pasta noodles is not sitting well with you. Some straws are sticking through both the tomatoes and the meat like a small skewer. You dip your bread into the sauce and taste it. Unsurprisingly, and to your delight, it tastes like tomato. Despite the effort you need to put into to consuming you still welcome the energy hoping that, in the end, it'll be a net positive. The sound of clanking silverware fills you with warm nostalgia. You've not experienced this in quite some time. You wonder when the best time is to address this peculiar situation and convince yourself that sooner is better than later. You clean your mouth with your napkin.

"So," you start.

"NO NEED TO THANK ME HUMAN, IT IS MY PLEASURE TO PROVIDE YOU WITH SPAGHETTI! JUST SAY THE WORD!" Papyrus replies proudly.

You swallow another bite.

"No, it's not thaackgh."

A straw decides it wants to be special, and fixates itself sideways in your throat causing you to start coughing.

"choking on our words are we?" Sans says and gives you a hard pat on the back.

The straw jumps up and triggers another reflex.

"NGAAAH! How many times must I tell people to stop trying to kill the human?" Undyne says, looking angrily back and forth between Papyrus and Sans. Blue energy is forming around her hand.

"Undyne, please, none of that language at the table," the large goat says smoothly but with a strong tone of authority. "Especially not around Frisk."

"Sorry, ma'am," she complies, receding her hand and spear.

You try to clear your throat of the uncooked intruder.

"W-what if it's the concussion destroying their swallowing reflex or their entire n-nervous system? M-maybe we should bring them d-down to the lab and do a check up," Alphys stammers out.

"No, I've decided to shut that place down, we have no use for it anymore."

The voice came from the far end of the table, filling the entire room. if not the entire house. The weight of it pushes Alphys down in her seat, tail in hand. You feel the weight as well and swallow instinctively. The noodle loosens up a bit.

"Asgore, I will not tolerate such harsh tones against people that just want to help," the other goat replies.

You swallow again, but this time you just drag one side down. It triggers yet another cough attack and interrupts Asgore before he can reply. Toriel shifts her face from stern to worry. She places a hand on the back of her chair for support, but you wave your hand aggressively to motion her to sit down. All eyes are now on you as you try to fight back the coughs. You take your glass and drink it all in one motion. You can feel the water rushing down your throat taking the unwieldy noodle with it. There is another round of coughs before you finally catch your breath. You breathe in. A loud burp surprises you and everyone around the table. It bounces around the room, and disappears into the kitchen utilizing the superior acoustic, before dying down in the hallway. The eyes fixate on you harder. A giggle saves the moment. It's the first sound you've heard from the child and it reminds you of...someone.

"Oh, yeah," you say awkwardly. "Sans, could you please pass the ketchup?"

The skeleton hands you the almost empty bottle, and you pour some on your food before handing it back. You manage two bites before the rest of the group continue with their respective food. You wish that the girdle was gone so you could sink into the ground.

Despite the literal hiccup you enjoy the rest of the lunch. It's nice to eat with people again and to hear the battle between metal and porcelain. For some it is quite the battle. Undyne tears into the spaghetti like she's racing to defuse a bomb at the bottom of the plate. Papyrus is similar, but instead of bomb defusing he's looking to beat the record of most food on a fork. Despite the heavy fork he still got some speed. Alphys is using a more somber approach and a pair of sticks instead of cutlery, weaving the spaghetti like a master seamstress, and catching the meat and tomatoes in a nest of tightly packed noodles. A screech of metal dragging against porcelain shifts your eyes to Frisk. Not bothered by the sound they shove their fork into the spaghetti and roll it twice before transporting it to their mouth. Their small cheeks bob up and down as they chew hard on the spaghetti. Before they thrust again they catch something with their eye. You follow where their eyes are looking. Asgore has managed to get some tomato sauce on his beard. Not really surprising, considering the amount of it. Like a band of yellow flowers on a snowy hill, his golden beard contrast with his otherwise white fur. Except the red stain of course. He doesn't seem to have noticed the ginger spot on his yellow river of hair, flowing in the gust from the window. Can he even see it?

Toriel can, it appears, as she is staring directly at it. Despite her eyes being focused somewhere else she stills cuts her food into precise amounts, and with almost zero movement from her upper arm, which is locked firmly against her side, she lifts the fork with three fingers and puts it into her mouth. You have to struggle to see the jaw moving as she chews. She then rolls back her shoulders, bringing her posture back to a right angle. You mimic the movement, and accidentally bump the fork of your neighbor. Before you can apologize you notice that it's not used. Instead, Sans is drinking deeply from the bottle of ketchup. You push your fork down for another bite, but you're greeted with a distinct clink. You're finished. You look around and see that it seems to be norm rather than the exception.

The table is more danced off rather than cleaned off as Papyrus scurries along the table, picking up glasses, plates, forks, and knifes with the skill and balance of a ballerina.

"Dessert anyone?" Toriel asks.

The table explodes with glee, including you.

"Very well then."

"Allow me Toriel," Asgore insists.

He stands up from his felted throne.

"I brought some Golden Flower tea for us to enjoy. Human, do you mind if I use your teakettle?" he asks you.

"Sure, but its an old cast iron pot and it will scratch the electric stove. You can use the fire stove, there should be some firewood next to it."

"Then I will use the fire stove, thank you."

He needs to duck down to enter the kitchen.

"Papyrus, join the others, let's do the dishes after," he informs the skeleton.

"AS THE KING COMMANDS, I SHALL OBEY AS THE ROYAL GUARD I AM!" Papyrus exclaims, leaving the half finished dishes in the sink.

"Um, Asgore? I'm not sure if I have any matches unfortunately," you shout into the kitchen and waking the skeleton next to you in the process.

"That will not be a problem," Asgore answers back. You hear him snapping his fingers and the sound of a small roaring fire emerges. It is soon followed by the crackling of burning bark.

"Now that we have some peace and quiet, why don't you tell us a little bit about yourself?" Toriel asks quietly, almost as she doesn't want Asgore to hear.

"Well, my name is-"

You're interrupted by a blue scaly hand covering your mouth. It smells like tomato and lotion.

"That's not fair, Toriel! We should wait until Asgore comes back. It would just be annoying for the human to repeat themselves when he returns."

"I suppose you're right Undyne. I apologize if I'm being annoying, human."

Her apology seems sincere enough. Undyne removes her hand and gives you a smile. Considering the food you've just eaten they're surprisingly clean. She then returns to her discussion with Alphys.

"But why would he replace his sword with such a smaller one? It doesn't fit his reach! With the previous one he could utilize a more defensive stance without sacrificing too much radius of his swing."

"Y-yes that is true, I think, but the new one has a greater capacity for his spirit power. He can use more spirit attacks with it."

"NGAAH, I got the best of both worlds right here," Undyne boasts while forming a thick spear.

The table is taken back by the sound of your teapot. A clean c sharp tone.

"Tea's ready!" Asgore shouts from the kitchen. His voice causes the glass cabinet behind you to shake.

"The pie is in the refrigerator, Asgore," Toriel shouts back.

You hear a fair amount of opening and closing of cupboards before you see a cape backing into the dining room. In his left hand is the steaming teakettle that's filling the room with a sweet and sour aroma. His right hands is filled up by two cups and a heightened serving platter with a glass container covering a brown circular pie. The remaining six cups are dangling from their finger rings, on his horns.

"Why didn't you ask me to come help you?" Toriel asks after a deep sigh.

"I wanted you to sit back and relax for a while," Asgore retorts while setting down the platter and kettle on the table.

"Well it didn't work, because now I'm afraid that you'll drop them all and cause more work for all of us."

Asgore bends down, tilting his head to one side slowly so that the cups on his left horns fall gently into Frisk's hands. Frisk then sends them down the table. Asgore then turns his head around to unload his other horn. Afterwards he sits down, and hands Frisk a cup while keeping the last for himself. Toriel fails to hide a smile, but Asgore is too busy easing himself into the now concave sofa. He addresses the table with a sweeping motion of his large hand.

"Since the last day has been pretty crazy I say we continue with that theme, and let the host have the first slice," he says and extends a hand towards you, smiling.

"So this new chapter of yours is breaking tradition?" Toriel replies, still trying to hide her smirk from before.

"It would seem so."

He lifts the pie towards you, setting it down in front of Sans. It stops there since Sans is asleep. You stretch yourself, grab it, and set it down between you and Undyne.

"I got it," she says. She lifts the glass cover and hovers a finger above the crust. Two fins of blue energy materialize around her finger, and she cuts the cake with them. She then turns her finger to the side, lifts up the piece, and transports it to your plate. You thank her, and turn to get the tea. She helps herself help herself to a slice, and passes the platter to Toriel while you pour tea into yours and Undyne's cup. You then bring the kettle into Toriel's reach. The platter is now at Alphys, and she seems to have a bit of a problem getting through the pie with her knife. Undyne offers her help again. A long, thin spear appears around her long and first finger and, with pinpoint accuracy, she lowers it upon the cake, slicing it without hustle.

"T-thank you Undyne. You're the best," Alphys stammers out.

"Of course I am," Undyne replies with a huge smile.

The platter goes through Frisk, Papyrus, and lastly to Asgore. He glances at Sans before dividing what's left into two and handing one over to Sans. As he finishes pouring his tea he lifts his cup up. Everyone still awake mimics.

"As this is a human house we will practice our new chapter and embrace a new tradition, a human tradition. The toast. Cheers to you Papyrus, thank you for doing your duty in bringing us this wonderful food."

Papyrus blushes. How even?

"Cheers to you, Alphys, thank you for your hard work in keeping the CORE up and running."

She also blushes.

"Cheers to you Undyne, thank you for your continuing work as my Royal Guard."

More red cheeks.

"Cheers to you Sans, for, eh, hm."

Asgore stops to think.

"FOR BEING THE BESTEST BROTHER ONE COULD HAVE!" Papyrus proposes.

"For being the bestest brother one could have," Asgore repeats.

Sans lifts his glass but keeps his eyes closed.

"Cheers to you Toriel. Thank you for...understanding."

"Not yet Asgore, sorry," she says while looking away from him.

"Then, cheers to you understanding, in the future."

"I wish to, Asgore. I really do."

Her eyes meets his.

"And to finish off with a double. Cheers to you two humans, for giving us monsters back our hopes," he finishes with his tone back up.

"Cheers," you reply, and savor the exotic tea.

The rest of the table follows, including Sans. A dance of sweet and sour engulfs your tongue as it touches the first drop. They alter strengths as the liquid rolls deeper, sweet taking the lead for the first half and sour leading for the second. As the water disappears into your throat they take a bow and return to their respective corners of your tongue. You breathe a small stream of steam from your nose. You pray that the pie is as good as the tea and cut of a corner.

It's quite chewy. A clashing battle between salt and sweetness commences, juxtaposing the calm dance of the tea. As you chew you feel a cold piece in the center of the salt. The pie must have been in the freezer for a while. The cold also clashes with the warmth from the tea leaving your mouth with a pleasing lukewarm temperature. The monsters sure do like their opposing forces. You realize that it's not just their cooking, it's their relationships as well. Papyrus and Sans, blue and red, tall and short. Alphys and Undyne, well, with the amount of times Alphys appears to be blushing they could also be red and blue. If not that then their personalities do strike you as being on opposing sides of the spectrum, and anime appears to be the place where left and right become center. You ponder as to how Asgore and Toriel fits into your hypothesis, but can't for the life of you find a strong base argument like the other pairs. They look alike. Maybe they're together? Perhaps it could be as simple as their cooking. You go with that for now.

You feel like you deserve an award for that genius theory, and greedily push your knife into your dessert. Something obstructs your path to another, literal, mouthwatering experience. You put more weight into the blade, and it budges through. It also releases a surprising sound, and a crack. Perplexed you stick your fork in and turn the now exposed side to you. Your tongue twist in utter confusion, your stomach is quickly informed and rumbles at the thought of processing that which you've seen.

"A snail?" you say out loud.

Too loud.


	5. Snails, why did it have to be snails?

"Is something the matter?" Toriel asks, halting her fork in front of her face.

You feel the weight of everyone's eyes.

"No, yeah, I mean, snails," you stammer back.

The table starts resonating mildly.

"You didn't get one? That's unfortunate," she says with a hint of sadness in her voice.

"I-I think I have two in mine. You could take one," Alphys chips in while examining her piece.

"No, I got one it's just that, it's a snail," you say, shock still present throughout the sentence.

"But, Frisk told me that snails are commonplace in your cooking," she replies with a quizzical look.

The shaking of the table turns into a rumbling, and you spot the source. Asgore is leaning on his elbows, and those are acting as conductors of the tremble. His hands are desperately trying to cover his bobbing head, and muffled wheezes can be heard escaping his grasp.

"Asgore, you told me as well." Toriel moves her hand towards you. "After you had talked with the human leaders, remember?"

A smile bigger than you've ever seen emerges from behind Asgore's hands. "No, I don't, Toriel. Please, refresh my memory," he says with a voice that's on the brink of bursting into laughter.

"You said that I need to take these human snail recipes with a grain of salt, so I did."

Asgore's voice once again fills the entire room, this time with the sound of a roaring laughter. The house seems to be in on the joke, as it shakes almost as much as he does. His wide open eyes are filled tears, falling and blackening the felted sofa leaving huge puddles on it. Toriel's eyes are almost shut, leaving just two slits staring. Asgore is lucky that he's wearing armor or her gaze would burn right through him.

Speaking of burn, you're feeling the entire room heating up. Has the fire stove lived up to its name? No, the kitchen looks to have the same white color as always. Is his laughing causing so much movement that the house is warming up through pure friction? No, that's just stupid. Your pondering leaves no clear answer until you see the familiar orange glow of an open blaze on the edge of your right eye. Oh no! The fireplace in the living room has rebelled. As you turn to assess the situation you discover that the heat of the problem is not an unruly chimney, but that an opaque and orange ball that's forming in Toriel's hand. Asgore's laugh finally dies down, and he puts a hand back on his mouth uttering a final puff of air out of his nose. The glow dies down.

"Oh, Toriel. I thought that you asked me that as a joke, to relieve me of some stress. I didn't-" He interrupts himself with a loud snicker. "Did Frisk tell you about the snails? The human leaders said that, yes, there are some applications, but they are mostly in local dishes in another country," he continues.

"But why would Frisk do that?" Toriel wonders out loud, looking at the small human. Frisk is stuck between laughing because of Asgore, and feeling deeply ashamed because of Toriel, and can't produce an answer.

"I'm sure Frisk had good intentions," Asgore cheerfully declare. "That reminds me. Human, your leaders have provided some houses for us to live in. For a nominal fee of course, but that's understandable. I can't expect everyone to be as nice as you and Frisk. We will spend the night here but we will be out of your hair tomorrow. So if there is any questions you have I'll try answer them to the best of my abilities. Because, tomorrow and going forward we will be pretty busy preparing for the rest of the monsters."

You nod and strengthen yourself with another sip of tea. It has become a bit cooler, but you still feel the tango on your taste buds.

"I'm pretty sure that there was something about a barrier separating the humans from, eh, you. Was that true or?" you ask while trying to sound as confident as possible.

"Yes, a long time ago there was a great war between our people. The politics and cause surrounding it forgotten to both us and you, if your leaders are to be believed. The barrier was erected by the winning party."

"That being the humans," Undyne whispers loudly into your ear.

"Yes, Undyne, thank you," Asgore continues. "And with the help of Frisk here, we we're able to break the barrier and bask in our collective sun once again."

"WHAT ABOUT THE?" Papyrus adds but is interrupted by Frisk tapping on his shoulder and putting a finger on their own lips.

"As Papyrus is saying, there are details I'm skipping, but they would just bore you. Believe me," Asgore says with a smile.

"Are you sure about that?" you retort with arms crossed and eyebrow raised.

"I'm just assuming that you don't want to sit through an hour long lecture about how the bureaucracy of passing a notion about a hearing about whether or not we should harness geothermal energy," he says in one breath counting each mention on his fingers. "And that would just be the start of the long list of, from the top of my head, a hundred different lectures I would have to give you before you could understand the situation of whether or not we should kill all the humans once we return."

"And to what conclusion did you come to?" you wonder as you cower a bit before the notion.

"No, there's been enough death between our people, and it's easier to relocate without swords and arrows in our heads. Let's switch subject, as I'm sure we'd all like to. Is there something else you would like to know?"

"Um, how about our food? Can you even eat it, I mean, I seem to be able to eat yours."

"To an extent," you add in your head.

"Our cuisine is mostly based on that which has been seeping through the cracks of the mountain. There was not much to prepare in the underground. Seeds, potatoes, and the occasional cookbook did find their way shortly after we were imprisoned. There are some plants that we use that are native to the underground, but I don't think it would be a problem. The years we lived together vastly outnumbered the time we spent locked away, and you seem to be able to eat Papyrus' famous spaghetti."

"lucky for you we had frisk to experiment on," Sans quips, taking the table by surprise. He opens one eye to look at Frisk, is met by an extended tongue, and then promptly returns to sleep.

"So I hope that you'll join our cook off in the future. Seeing as humans value eating together I'm thinking we should have a sort of recipe swap. We need to adapt our cooking back to the Surface again, and I'm sure your people would enjoy some new ingredients to play around with."

Asgore gives a look to Toriel and is immediately shot down by her frown.

"You said that you bought some houses, or something? Aren't they too small? I mean, my house is one of the biggest in town, and you still don't fit."

"Yes, I will compensate you for your doorway and this sofa don't you worry."

Asgore looks a bit ashamed saying that.

"It's not really what I meantm but I appreciate it anyway," you reassure.

"I'm glad to hear that."

"It's not really a big deal, we've been saving for almost a thousand years for this moment," Undyne whispers again, still a bit too loud.

"Yes, we do have quite the capital to build us, a capital," Asgore pauses to reflect on what he just said.

"and here i was doubting why you we're our king Asgore, but that pun was really, rich," Sans says while winking with one eye.

"SANS, THE KING DIDN'T REALLY MEAN TO SAY THAT AND YOU KNOW IT!" Papyrus yells, jaw and arms flailing as he speaks.

"me, mocking the royal figurehead of the monsters? i think that deserves, capital punishment."

"NOOOOOOOOO!" Papyrus screams in defeat and clutches his head.

"That's enough, Sans," Asgore says, authority lingering behind a soothing veil. "I do plan for us to build a city, but the placement must be discussed so that it won't be intrusive to the already established cities. It must also have good resources and place to grow. Again, that's in the future, and for now I think we will be happy living in a smaller town like this one. Who knows, we might build our capital right here."

You find yourself intrigued by the idea. Skeptical, but still intrigued.

"Speaking of fitting in with society, how about education? There is a couple of elementary and high schools in town, and I can vouch for them, but I don't think they have the capacity. The nearest big city is two hours away."

"I want to build one as soon as I can."

Your right ear spring into function, having been neglected for a while, as Toriel speaks. Joy and glee planted firmly in her voice.

"I've always wanted to be a teacher, and now that I have the chance I won't waste it. Of course there will be room for humans, I don't want education to be another barrier between us."

"and the queen proves to be a worthy co-ruler," Sans says, overly satisfied with his performance.

You feel a tingling in your right leg and look down to see the faintest outline of a spear. You look up and meet Undyne with her head in her other hand. She has an annoyed look that goes straight through you, and presumably onto Sans. She refocuses onto you when she sees the movement of your eyebrow raising. The tingling in your leg disappears, and she gives you a lesser smile. Toriel recovers from Sans quibble.

"The problem is that, the longer I wait with beginning their education, the more difficult it will be for them to fit in I fear. You wouldn't happen to know anything that could help me?" she asks with her eyes and burdens pointed at you.

"Did they mention the town hall? As far as I know it's not in regular use. It's mostly for public holidays and such, but that wouldn't clash with your school."

"That's a really good idea, thank you."

You turn to Frisk.

"Sorry."

A cold shoulder is all you get.

"Any good teachers?" Toriel follows up.

"None that I'm aware of. Everyone I know are working at the schools in town," you answer.

"Can't Alphys help?" Asgore reenters into the conversation after a long battle to convince Papyrus that no, he won't execute Sans.

"M-m-me? You're putting the future of our kids intellect on m-me?" Alphys stammers back, tail firmly grasped.

"You we're, and still are, our royal scientist Alphys, and our kids deserve the best," Asgore replies.

Toriel crosses her arms and gives Asgore another stern look. He doesn't see it as he is looking at Alphys.

"B-b-ut what about the program? It's a monumental task and to juggle that with the pressure of being a teacher."

She starts hyperventilating.

"Alphee, you're gonna do just fine, look at me," Undyne commands in a soft voice. "You're gonna teach the kids all about science, and you're gonna fix that CORE right up! You understand?"

"Y-y-yes, and no. I-I don't know. Can't I just work on the integration only?" she stammers back but with a more normal breathing rhythm.

You figure that this is as good as a segue you'll get and lean your head over the table. "What about me? I have some experience in both. I could help Alphys with whatever project you have on one day and teach the kids the other. It could also attract more humans to your school if they see a human teaching there," you propose.

"Hm, tell you what human," Asgore ponders, his hand burrowed in his golden beard. "You start working on your credentials. We will start working on starting our respective projects and then you can send in an application to us. These are not jobs I'm comfortable throwing at whoever. No offense. Know this though," his smile returns, reassuring as ever, "you have contacts with monsters high up."

You catch an unfamiliar tune originating from Asgore. He picks up a phone from a pocket in his mantle.

"Time flies, doesn't it? A week ago I was dreaming of what I would say to your leaders when, if, I would return up to the surface, and lo and behold," he pushes a button and the ringing stops. "I'm running late to that very scenario. Now, human, If I return after you've fallen asleep."

He stands up, the sound of hundred springs being relieved of duty following him up, and extends a hand towards you. You get up from your chair, legs complaining for more rest, and take his hand. The grip is very firm but in a fit like a glove kind of firm. The only strange part being having contact with skin on one finger and fur on another.

"Thank you again for the use of your house and food," Asgore thanks while bowing his head.

"The pleasure is all mine," you reply, surprised over the amount of sincerity you mean.

He releases your hand, waves to the rest of the table, and bends down into the kitchen.

You manage your way back to your seat before you hear the recurring sound of wood against horn. Two sighs, one coming from the hallway, and the other coming from the other end of the table, can be heard before the sound of the front door closing.

"If everyone is finished with their tea I will continue with the dishes," Toriel says after she releases her forehead.

You swallow the rest of your tea, even after cooling down it still packs quite the performance, and shift yourself to the rest of your... Oh, you forgot all about it. You see the other side of the table sending their plates down towards Toriel, and you hear Undyne doing the same thing. Not wanting to squander your new found job prospects you imagine the shell as a biscuit instead, and the animal part being the filling. It's a flimsy disguise, but it would have to do!

You stick your fork into the filling, and bite down on the biscuit. It's quite salty, and you regret finishing your tea first. You chew with the speed and rhythm of a turbocharged engine. It goes down, for some magical reason it goes down. Hopefully it will stay that way. You finish the rest of the crumbs, and bring your plate and mug into the kitchen. A motherly figure stands over the sink, cleaning plate after plate with care and grace. You recognize the sight and welcome it.

"I've sent Undyne outside to fix the grass," she says, accepting your plate and cup into her domain of soap and bubbles. You hear grunts and screams of damnation with the occasional insults towards plant based life from outside the open window.

"Papyrus offered to help you clean. I think he said that he would start upstairs so that the dirt would be scared down where it could only choose to either leave or be forced to leave by the hand of the great Papyrus!" She mimics his voice at the end causing you to chuckle at the absurdity of the two voices mixed together.

"What about Frisk and Sans?" you ask while moving over to her left and start drying the dishes.

"You don't need to do that, my dear."

"I want to, and besides, you don't know where to put it afterwards," you explain as you grab another plate from her.

"Well, Frisk is probably in the living room, doing their homework. Sans is, probably asleep somewhere."

"He do that often?" you say while drying the teapot. Even after being washed it still smells like the tea.

"I don't know, I've not known him for too long. Well, in a way I have, but not in person."

Another elaborate threat about petals and the removing of them enters the dining room window. You also hear threats about surrendering to the great Papyrus or else things will suck. You think you hear a faint chuckle followed by a very clear NYEEEH. You finish wiping the cooking pot. It has the same lemony smell as the rest of the dishes. You guess it's because of the tea.

"So, queen of the underground?" you pry while polishing a glass.

You hear another one break.

"Ex queen, I'm afraid I must correct you on that," she replies, covering her hand with the other. A green light shines between them.

"I apologize, I shouldn't have been nosy," you wring the towel in your hand awkwardly, like Alphys does.

"Apology accepted, and I will give you one back for letting my emotions get the best of me."

"You mean the glass? Don't think about it."

You smile and get one in return. The two of you both return to the dishes.

The rest of the chore continues in silence, well, from you and Toriel at least. Really, with the sound of clinking porcelain, Undyne's maniacal laughter, and the sound of the vacuum upstairs, it is quite an earful. When you're done you hear the patio door open up and Undyne steps in. Sweat and grass covers her body, and a blue scythe dissipates from her hand as she enters.

"Mind if I use your shower again?"

"Would I have to fight you if I said no?" you ask while putting the dishes back in their respective cupboard.

"If it meant that I could use it after I defeat you, yes."

"Then I don't mind you using my shower, again."

"I will make you fight me sometime, you know that. It's what friends do," she tries to convince while flexing.

You tap your head.

"Can't, doctor's order."

"She is not a doctor, she's a scientist."

"She is wearing a coat, good enough for me. Now are you just gonna stand there and create more work for Papyrus or are you gonna use the shower? Or do you just use it without asking first?"

A good laugh can be heard from both of you before Undyne wanders off to freshen up. As she nears the stairs you hear another pair of footsteps coming from the other way as Alphys enters.

"F-frisk is almost done with their homework. C-could we get some water?"

You fill a two bottles with water and hand them to her. She grabs them and meanders back into the living room. You catch Toriel standing on the patio.

"It's better than I remembered," she says before taking a deep breath. The gentle wind tugs at her large ears and flowing robe.

You follow her example and fill your lungs with the smell of freshly cut grass. You've missed it too. The lawn is in a perfect and uniform height. Undyne sure does deserve that shower. She's also collected the excess into a big pile in the corner. If the wind keeps somewhat still it would burn rather nicely. You ask Toriel if she wouldn't mind igniting it.

"It's OK. I'm sure I've convinced myself that magic is real, or perhaps the concussion has taken away my fight or flight response. Either way, I don't think I will scream in fear as you conjure up a nice big flame," you jokingly explain.

It seems to work as she start making her way towards the pile.

"Just to be sure," you stop her. "There should be a bucket near the barrel under the drainpipe. Just make a circle of water around the fire. I'll be right back, just gonna grab some stuff."

You leave her in the sun and make pace towards the hallway. You open up the key cabinet and fetch a pair of keys hanging on a small plastic lawnmower. As you turn around you spot the real reason you excused yourself. You lean into the living room and stretch an arm towards the upper shelf. You retrieve a pair of overly large sunglasses, bought as a joke gift and worn without the slightest sense of care. You apologize to Alphys and Frisk for interrupting, and inform them that they're more than welcome to join you and Toriel, and if they see the rest, the more the merrier.

With glasses and keys in hand you return outside. Toriel is kneeling down with the bucket next to her. She is hovering her hand above the base of the pile, and you can see smoke rise from it. You set the sunglasses on the wooden railing and steer yourself to the shed in the corner beside the now growing pyre. The air inside is stale, but dry, which is good as there's no mold on the pillows for the deck chairs. You start moving the chairs and pillows towards the patio. Toriel offers her help, and you gladly accept it. As you make your first trip she asks about the sunglasses.

"They are not really my size so I thought that they might fit you."

"How sweet of you," she says, trying them on.

They seem to fit quite nicely.

"I thought that after a thousand years underground the sun might sting a bit."

"It does, thank you."

You unfold the chairs and fill them with the pillows and return with Toriel to the shed to extract the wooden sofa. You return with it to see that Frisk and Alphys has finished Frisk's homework and are now sitting and taking in the warmth of the sun. They both chuckle, Alphys a little more nervously than Frisk, as they see Toriels accessorized visage. An eyebrow rises up from behind the darkened glass and they both stop. The sofa is placed and stuffed with pillows. It complains a bit as she sits down but appears to handle the weight. After the fire becomes a blaze you're joined by Papyrus and Undyne. Undyne drags her chair next to Alphys and Papyrus drags his next to Frisk.

"YOUR HOUSE IS NOW CLEAN HUMAN! I THANK YOU FOR DOING THE GROUND FLOOR!"

"I didn't," you reply.

"i did," Sans says, sitting next to Frisk.

Papyrus voice must have masked him.

"THAT'S VERY NICE OF YOU SANS!"

You thank Sans and return your eyes to the fire. There's something pleasantly primitive about just looking at the flames. You wonder if your ancestor and the monsters ancestors did the same thing, huddling in caves, just looking at fires together in peace. Sans snores reminds you that you're tired and you wager that's safe for you to rest your eyes for a bit.

You pull the lever on your side and lean back, one arm over your eyes. You hear the others struggle with the technique before hearing their chairs lock in position. You're among friends, yesterday you were alone but now you're surrounded by people you feel like you're gonna care about. It's been a long time coming. You exhale a pleased sigh and drift to sleep.


	6. At least it's made from recycled material

You take a sip of tea and bend down to pick up today's paper. It feels to good to have some mobility in your knees again. It's not like you enjoy reading it, but it's free and it suffices as white noise in the morning, shaving away a half hour or so off of your morning. However, that was two days ago. Now you're curios as how the town will react to all this monster business.

"Legends walk among us!" screams the headline. It's taking up half of the first page over a photo of Asgore and Toriel entering the mayor's building. "More on page 2 to 20!" is tucked in the bottom right corner. You're not surprised over how many pages there are dedicated to, arguably, the biggest news story on the century, if not the millennium.

You make your way back to the kitchen while skimming the first page. It's mostly reactions from everyday citizens.

"They abducted my husband!"

"Ate my livestock!"

"They will steal our job!"

"Build a wall!"

The usual suspects. It's no wonder the majority of people under thirty left as soon as they could from this city.

You put down the paper on the sink and weigh it down by a bowl so that the breeze from the open kitchen window doesn't blow it away. From the refrigerator you retrieve some milk. It shakes too easily, and you remind yourself to add it to the shopping list. You can't even drown a fly in the puddle it leaves in the bowl, and you rip open the top to see if maybe you could-

No, it's completely empty. You fold it and toss it into the garbage. The amount of cereal covering the milk can be counted on one hand, and you realize that you must look for more food. Dry cereal or frozen snail pie? You'd rather not choose. You take a look outside and pick up your breakfast. The newspaper feels heavier than the bowl.

You open the patio door with your now functioning knee and leave it open. The sound of birds chirping and the smell of morning dew reminds you that's been some time since you've been awake this early. It's only nine in the morning.

You arrange the paper, tea and, bowl on the patio table. You open the trunk containing the pillows and fill a chair. You make yourself comfortable with a view of the now blackened corner of your lawn. Turns out it wasn't safe to take a nap while an unsupervised fire rages in your backyard. Who would've thunk? Luckily Toriel's ring of water had prevented it from growing towards the house. The other way, however, was the complete opposite. You make you way towards the charred grass and examine it.

The fire scorched only one side of the old apple tree that was in the unfortunate way, and you don't know if it will recover. You feel a bit sad thinking about having to cut it down before you spot two small fruits hanging on the other side. Not really store fruit, but it doesn't matter to you. As you make it back to the patio with one apple in hand and another in your mouth you almost trip over the extended hose laying across the grass. Your toenail rips another hole in the old dried up rubber. You chuckle as you remember the panic you had yesterday when you realized that the tree was on fire.

Undyne charged at it first, swinging a spear, and demanding the fire to retreat back to the pile where it belonged. She fought it for a good minute while you mumbled swear words at the knots constricting the water in the hose you retrieved from the shed. The holes that were present were being plugged by Papyrus and Frisk, both being surprisingly agile for their respective bodies, as they almost made knots of themselves trying to plug new holes that were forming because of the water pressure building up. After a short battle with the fire Undyne then stumbled backwards and fell face first into the grass.

"I respect an opponent that still can fight even after being cut up into thousands of little pieces. Good fight, grass!" she said with her finger pressed against the ground before passing out.

Alphys, who was just biting her nails before came rushing towards Undyne, and pulled her away from the fire. "S-s-she's dehydrated, we need water!" she shouted at you, panic and fear filling her voice.

"Could it please not knot itself like this?" you retorted, not against Alphys or anyone else for that matter. You just, retorted. "How can it even be like this?" you had continued, staring at something not even a lifetime scout could have made.

You could feel the pressure of the situation, and the water, splashing against your neck. The hose had burst and started flailing wildly against you, Papyrus, and Frisk. You tried to grab it, but like a snake mounted on the end of an arm of someone who is deathly afraid of snakes you couldn't predict the movement to get a grip. To top it all of you were startled by the sound of metal being ripped off.

"Out of the way!" Toriel screamed while holding the barrel of rainwater like a battering ram. She made short work of the distance between her and the bonfire, and lunged the rusty water at it. An aggressive fire had been doused by an even angrier goat with a barrel of rain.

With the fire now under control you attacked the hose, tackling it the ground, and finally you managed to get control over it. You stretched it as far as you dared and angled it upward. The beam of water fell down hard on Undyne. She jolted up, coughing and spitting. She looked around to find you standing there, hose in hand, and sprinkles of water emerging from the holes behind you. She wiped her face.

"Told you water would work on me," she said with a relieved smile. A few moments passed before you all burst into laughter.

"smells delicious," Sans had said, commenting on the vague aroma of roasted apple hanging in the air.

"Roasted fruit goes well with grilled fis-" you had stopped yourself in the nick of time.

"goes well with what?" Sans had then pried, eyes now open and locked on you.

"F-f-fried, potato! Yes, it's yummy yummy," you assured, feeling sweat form on your forehead. Your gaze betrayed you as it kept tearing itself towards Undyne. Sans caught on.

"luckily it seems that you wash your potatoes. but why, as a sign of goodwill?"

Despite his lack of, you could feel his eyebrow rise.

"I always treat my potatoes with the respect they deserve," you spat back, a little too loud.

"so if you get a potato that, i don't know, struggle, against your vision to create this delicious meal, what would you do with it?" his gaze had hardened on you.

"First one to the knife," you replied with a smile. Your effort to speak his language, jokes, to try to diffuse the situation had backfired like the sizzling pile of half dried grass behind you. An empty vacuum of hate had replaced the calm darkness of his sockets, and it was all on you. His grip hardened on the chair. Again Frisk interrupted, tugging his jacket with all their weight. They did manage to rip Sans stare from you and pointed inside with a serious finger.

"excuse us," Sans said and followed Frisk into the house.

"DON'T MIND HIM HUMAN, THE ONLY FRIED POTATO HE LIKES IS GRILLBY'S FRIES!" Papyrus proclaimed, a less serious finger held high in his mitten.

"Yeah, sure," you had answered back.

You're jolted back to the present by your toe hitting the threshold between grass and the cement on the patio. A muffled curse and a stumble later you land back in your chair. You bend over and brush off the bruised apple you dropped and take another bite.

The newspaper makes a satisfying sound as you whip it open on page two. An even blurrier picture of Asgore and Toriel, or two other giant white creatures, is staring you in the face. Around it is a flaming border and big bold text saying that Satan has come back, and he's brought the end times with him. You're a bit proud that it took a concussion and dehydration before you started madly rambling instead of it being your default state of mind.

You see that the page is sponsored by your local pastor, the one that claimed that your families death was just, and that he had foretold it. You look at the page after it, see that it's a continuation of the one before, rip it out, and walk back to the coals. You pick up the rake and poke around until you see a small pocket of embers.

"Where trash belongs," you say out loud.

The ripped page crumples as if in pain and is soon engulfed. You picture the pastor doing the same thing and you feel a little better inside. You pour some water from the bucket on the embers and return to your chair. The next page is a statement from the mayor. Comparing Asgore's story to this one is like comparing apples and oranges. You take another bite of the apple you have.

This must be the work of the editor. Threats of violence. Call for a militia. Call for secrecy so that the snoopy government don't come and poke around. You don't believe a single waste of ink that they call words. Not like you needed more proof that you should stop reading this mad rambling of a newspaper. The mayor can be trusted with a pen, he was one of the few that helped you keep the house and therefore he is not a moron. His stamp is one of the few things keeping you here.

You fold the paper to get a finger on the next page and you're momentarily blinded by the sun. You blink to find yourself with the most magnificent of sights. Across both the pages is a crude and poorly edited photo of your town covered in various pictures of monster. Some still have their watermarks on them from wherever the newspaper stole them from. The sky is replaced with what seems to be stretched out blood, and the sun is a crying baby's face.

You feel your eyes widen as you keep finding more and more in this bless of a mess. There is a monster from a famous children's book with an axe from an old adventure series chasing a cartoon man from an info graphic. There is a pile of moss with angry eyes raising a flag depicting Asgore's blurred profile with a black crown drawn out of proportion and perspective on his head. Your eyes dart back and forth and you feel your grin grow as time passes. You catch a glimpse of a stick figure holding an assault rifle with its thumb.

You settle your darting eyes on your own house. It's been awkwardly clipped due to the crop of the picture so you can only spot the upper right part. You feel somewhat disappointed, but come to the conclusion that it wouldn't do you any favors if you call in and tell them your story in hope that they would add something to your home. There's some text below the picture. You figure it's not important since nothing can describe this work of art. You ponder for a while as to how you could get your hands on the source picture. You want this mounted over the fireplace.

You slurp up your cereal and turn to the next page. It's an ad. Good prices on milk and bread at the local store. You keep that in mind. The next one is another article. This one describes different ways to make your house monster proof.

Step one, arm yourself. You wonder if there's monsters with more arms than a normal human. But wouldn't a human with three arms or more be a monster? If so then this step would be interesting to see in action.

Step two, stock up. On the necessities you assume. Wouldn't want to run out of food in the middle of a monster siege. You might resort to Papyrus' spaghetti or get fed water by a fish on dry land. Toilet paper would also be necessary. You can't wipe yourself with this article since the bullshit would just replace your own. You make a gun with your fingers.

"Got them," you say with a smirk. Speaking of that, do monsters poop? Do they use their magic to- Images flash before you, and you quickly read the next step to replace them.

Step three, take care of your family. You lower the newspaper and blink. Damn...

Step four, barricade your home. You glance off to the rainwater barrel. Its bent up metal fastenings hangs crooked from Toriel's strength. The panel it was stuck too is a different hue of red than the rest. Holes and scratches from the nails dot it and it's hanging a decimeter from the wall. You add planks, nails, and a new paintbrush to your list. No arguments with this step. It's right on the money.

Step five, be prepared. Don't panic and bounce your head against stalagmites at the first sight of the monster. Use your multiple arms and join them instead. Really, how do you prepare for something that can blast fire from one hand and form spears with another? A gun, you conclude.

Step six, don't open for anyone. You remember the dining room window and update your list while taking a sip of tea. The sun is keeping it somewhat warm. A familiar play occupies your mouth, and you slosh it around for a while before swallowing it.

Step seven, survive. Well that's a given. Don't really need a step for that, it's literally programmed into your genes.

The list closes with a note saying that you should cut it out and put it somewhere clearly visible. A picture of a man in a suit with arms crossed and stern look proclaims himself as the author. You name him Mister Lister. A bird lands on the railing in front of you. You bend down the newspaper, give it a smile, and continue to the next page.

"How to tell if your neighbor is harboring monsters."

Look for the smell of half cooked food and increasing use of the shower. Four times yesterday, but, maybe that's because she's a fish and fish needs water, or the fact that she's really into exercising. Exercising her right to use your shower that is! Morning shower, midday workout shower, covered in soot shower, and finally, evening workout shower. You add showering gel and a new bathing sponge to the list.

Step one. Another list? Come on! Be aware of increased movement. You skim the rest of it because they're not really advice you would call necessary. You extract more joy from the pictures describing the different steps. Still the same inconsistency of color and art style as the million dollar painting a few pages back.

At the bottom you see Mister Lister again. The poor overworked man is still standing there with shoulders back and arms over each other. His pride and complete dedication to his craft is reflecting in his eyes. The gray stripes in his slick backed hair shows that he's been in the list making business the longest and knows it inside out. He never tires from making another list! God bless you, Mister Lister! You praise yourself for giving him such a relevant name.

Page ten is another ad. Come one come all, the circus is coming to town. You wonder if your new friends would enjoy it. It's not like there are monsters there. Maybe the fire stunts will seem mundane to them, but the acrobatics are always breathtaking. You picture Toriel juggling fireballs and Undyne hitting them midair making them explode in a thousand colors. Maybe the circus is hiring? You save the date and continue.

Another page, another article about monsters representing the fall of humanity. Mister Lister's sister is continuing the family trade and brings her article about how the monsters will disrupt the world famous tourism of your sleepy little town. Backing her up is a slew of numbers. No meaning or cohesive application, just, numbers.

A couple of percents there, a couple of minuses here, and a big fat bar graph in the middle. Like a layer of brick inside a cake, or a frozen snail inside of a pie, it separates the text, boasting with its multiple colors and descending order.

"Predicted income of tourism after monsters," it reads. Predicted by who? The bars don't just descend in height, they descent in width as well. You're infuriated by the sheer lack of ignorance to proper presentation. You examine the sources for whoever they consulted with to get this information. Nothing, no sources. Figures.

You consult yourself. The majority of people traveling to your town do so to see the mountain and discuss the legend it has. The mountain overshadows your town both literally and metaphorically. A picture of a dark skinned woman stand in the corner of the page with her suit and glasses. Miss. Can't Make A Proper Bar Graph.

A familiar face greets you on the next page. The tale of Mister Lister reaches a trilogy with his magnum opus.

"Top ten monsters we don't want taking our jobs!"

It's just a bunch of pictures with a job title over it. Large monsters for heavy lifting, big headed monsters for accounting, fat monsters for garbage disposal. Again, no job is too small or too big for Mister Lister.

You chew the rest of your first apple and throw it over your fence. Another sip of tea, another jig in your mouth. It tickles a bit with the flesh of the apple you're still chewing.

You flip the page. Next is an article spouting vague warnings about housing shortage. It's riddled with spelling errors and you give up halfway. You flip again. The rest of the monster special is just ads. Guns, military rations, sand, and other building materials.

The sport pages are uncontaminated by monsters and you see that the local sports team is advancing to a higher league, both in football, and in football. You pump your fist in the air as support. You turn to the last page and to your delight the comics are still there. They are bought in from some comic syndicate and are therefore not polluted by the idiocy of your town. You laugh at a joke about an elephant and a rotary phone.

No more pages left to read, so you fold the newspaper in half and finish your tea. You take the remaining apple and carry it in your mouth inside. As you enter you shut the door with your foot and make your way to the sink. The water takes some time to heat up. In the meantime you look for a place to put the newspaper.

You peek your shoulder into the dining room and throw it on the table. The water is now warm and you clean your dishes before return them to their respective cupboards. With the apple in one hand and your phone in your other you browse today's agenda. First thing to do is to clean the oven. You almost drop your apple as you let out a snicker. Mister Lister have been working for you without your knowledge.

You turn around and open the oven door. A burnt form with a charred piece of meat was meant to be dinner for you yesterday A gift from Papyrus. You jerk and twist it to release it from the charred coal that was formed underneath the form. The overflown meat crack as you lift it. You bang it upside down on the sink.

Nothing.

You bang it harder.

Still nothing.

You take it outside and smash it against the patio floor.

The lump breaks into black and brittle pieces.

You grab a broom and a dustpan to sweep it up. You can spot some straws of spaghetti that seem hard enough to kill a person. As you toss it into the trashcan you wonder how it would have tasted if the monsters had remembered to tell you that it was in the oven before they left. The form goes in the dishwater with a pleasant splash. You bend down and open the lower cupboards to take some cleaning supplies. With them you start cleaning the oven. Fifteen minutes later it's like new. Less can be said for your hands. The form also takes some nail scraping to satisfy you. It makes a pleasant sound as you wipe it one last time. You empty the dishwater and make your way towards the front door, but you stop when you spot a surprisingly large amount of cash on the hallway table.

"This should cover room, food, and repairs and a little extra for the hospitality," signed Toriel.

You flip the card.

"TOLD YOU, HUMAN! THERE'S NO TALKING YOUR WAY OUT OF BEING THANKED!" signed The Great Papyrus. A smiling skeleton is crudely drawn.

Your finger takes some time flipping through the bundled cash. If they're comfortable paying this much for such a small thing imagine the savings they have. You imagine Asgore sitting on a huge pile of gold and stroking his beard. The image pleases you. You pocket half of it, take your keys and leave for the store.


	7. The pinnacle of human engineering

"We regret to inform our customers that a maximum of five of an item can be bought per family. We apologize for the inconvenience, and wish our customers happy shopping," the speaker informs, filling the crowded general store.

Several irritated voices can be heard around you as you open your list again. Milk and bread, from the newspaper. Potatoes and vegetables. Chicken and meat. You make a quick survey of your cart and conclude that the food is done. You wonder how you'll get the planks in, the cart is getting pretty full.

Two people are fighting about the last can of pineapple. The queue for the cash registries stretch for several aisles. There's a lot of annoyed feet tapping and equally annoyed arms crossed.

As you make your way through the aisles you overhear some conversations about a new friend of yours. Undyne has been spotted spotting people at the local gym. Apparently having a bi pedaled fish with a huge grin looming over you helps you push yourself more. You can testify for that. It sounds like they were hesitant at first, but soon they understood that she was just there for the same reason they were, to work out.

"Man, she's something alright," says one.

"She almost screams as much as you do," replies the other one, bumping his friend on the shoulder. The punch would've given you quite the bruise.

"Did you see the way she just destroyed your record? How does her body even support that?"

"Who didn't? Her NYAAAH or whatever made everyone drop their routine and just watch. Dibs on her spotting me next time."

"If someone breaks another one's record they're supposed to help break theirs. She's with me. Gym rule," the first one replies with punch of their own.

"With the amount of sweat you broke getting there the gym will be flooded if you try to break hers. Maybe then you can break it since the water will make the weights lighter."

"At least she'll feel like home."

"Let's just hope that she's a saltwater fish."

Laughs are heard, some from you. You wonder if it would be a good idea to start working out. Having Undyne as a personal trainer you would bench press a car in no time. Perhaps you should suggest her to apply for that.

Aisle 30, paint and accessories. A variety of colors and brush sizes surround you. You try to remember your father's advice and start searching for the appropriate bristles and hue. Copper red and the second largest brush, perfect. Two cans for one, even more perfect. Some paint cleaner, a second brush just in case, and you're done. A group of old ladies are mumbling next to the wallpapers. The words Asgore and newspaper catches your attention. You convince yourself that you see something interesting in the shelf opposite of them.

"I heard that they used magic to hypnotize the previous residents to move," one starts.

"I saw them go into the mayor's house and leave with a small child," another follows.

"Are they stealing our young?" a third continues.

"Maybe that's the source of their magic, small children. They eat them and absorb their souls."

You scoff at the idea and the mumbling stops. You pick up a plastic pack of thumbtacks and shake it. It makes a similar sound. The mumbling starts again.

"And yesterday my son in law saw one of the big ones accompany a dinosaur to the mayor. It was wearing a white coat. What if they're keeping him in some kind of monster machine? Cloning him?"

"What about the skeleton? Is it a monster or is it one of us? If they eat our kids, what's stopping them from using our own dead against us? Will we have to fight both monsters and undead?"

"I saw him too, he asked me if he could help me across the street, but I attacked him with my purse and he ran away screaming."

You hear cheering behind you. You run your finger against the products to remind them that you're searching for something.

"So why haven't the army come and locked them in again?"

"My daughter told me that's because the monster king convinced them that they come in peace. If I was locked in for thousands of years I wouldn't come back and look for peace, I would look for blood."

You feel a small part of yourself agreeing with that logic, but you try and shake that feeling away. It still lingers, it makes sense that they would tell the army to not come and to appear friendly so that we are susceptible to a surprise attack. You try to think back to the lunch, to find something that would cause suspicion but everything Asgore said was with the utmost sincerity and truth in his voice. You have a suspicion that this feeling will linger and you feel disappointed. If the feeling is true you were played for a fool and if it's false, well, then you're just a bigot like the rest of them.

"The best we can do now is play along but be on guard, maybe we should start a neighborhood watch program?" one suggests.

"They will never suspect us. Little do they know, beneath our facade of beauty lies a pack of fierce cougars."

Your thoughts are interrupted by the wording of the last sentence. You shake it off and hurry along before more thoughts of distrust and elderly cougars infest you. What's next on the list? Ah, shower gel. You steer your cart towards the bathing products.

Aisle 17, shower and bath. As you make your way down the aisle you start to think, would skin moisturizers work on scales? You try to remember feeling Undyne's scales as she carried you. They were rougher than dry skin, but still felt wet. That could have just been your sweat though. It did stick to her scales as you remember her smelling like shower gel after she had her showers. Maybe you should ask Alphys.

You open your notes with questions for the monsters and add one more. Hm, it appears Mister Lister is rubbing off on you. You pick up a bottle on clearance. Sport shower. Whatever. Into the cart. Now what you do know is that scales are horrible for your sponges as they are much more coarse. Undyne apologized, but you just laughed it off.

"So, about my shower sponge? I guess you shower like you cut grass, violently. And with your spear? 1, 2, 3, 4, 5," you counted out loud as your piece jumped over Alphys' trap.

"Ha, you sure you want to know?" Undyne replied as she picked up the dice.

"Doesn't it evaporate the water? The spear I mean."

"Sorry, monster secret. Double six, now we're talking."

"If we are to live together we can't go around keeping secrets now, can we?" you teased.

"There are some secrets we are better off not knowing," Toriel added.

"Like not knowing how you use your magic in the shower? Snake eyes, dammit," you cursed as you barely missed a bonus tile.

"Among other things."

"Your snail pie recipe?"

"No, not really. I shouldn't really be talking about it," Toriel said with a hint of regret in her voice.

"yeah, you couldn't stomach the recipe," Sans quipped and followed up with a laugh.

"SANS, YOU SAID THAT YOU WERE TOO TIRED TO PLAY!"

"i am."

"C-c-could we please s-switch subject?" Alphys pleaded.

"Sure, sorry Alphee," Undyne smiled at Alphys.

"Sorry for the secrets or for the fact that you just knocked her out of the game?" you wondered with your brows hanging low for dramatic effect.

"I-it's ok. For both. I like to spectate," Aplys reassured.

"Just you and Toriel left, human. Defeat draws near! How does it taste?" Undyne threatened mockingly.

"Delicious, because, as you see, I just got an eight, and with this card your piece is going right back to the beginning."

"Not fair, how did you plan for that?"

"Sorry, human secret," you scoffed out. The monsters were fools to challenge to to this board game! They were nothing but-

You're jolted back to the present by an abandoned cart smashing against yours with your rib cage taking the majority of the hit. A series of coughs follows. You look around for the owner but can't seem to find them. You can't hear them either, in fact, the store has gone awfully quiet. You turn your cart sideways so that it stays put and make your way towards the main aisle.

You poke your head out to see what the lack of fuss is about. You find out that you're one of many heads looking towards the exit. A large creature with familiar sunglasses stands in the doorway, triggering the sensor and making the door open and close in a loop. In one hand she is holding a purse, the other one is digging through it.

"Why don't you two go and pick what you want?" Toriel offers with her head just above her purse.

"WILL DO! FRISK, FOLLOW ME FOR REFRESHING COLDNESS!" Papyrus replies, taking Frisk in his mitten. You assume as much since you can't really see that much over the sea of heads in front of you. Judging by the way he bends bends down you're pretty sure you're right.

The ocean of people parts as they walk through, like a shark in a school of fish. You can't get a clear view, but you can see Papyrus' head bobbing up and down. They reach the area where the ice cream is located and you see the head disappear down.

"WOW, THERE ARE SO MANY!"

Despite being so far away you can hear the freezer open up, the rattling of plastic wrappers and loud thinking.

"LOOK, THERE'S A SKELETON ONE! IT MUST TASTE AMAZING!"

The sound of the door stops as you see Toriel make her way towards her companions, her upper body is towering over the many heads.

"YOU SHOULD PICK THIS ONE, IT LOOKS LIKE A SNAIL!"

"I wonder if it taste like one too. No, it seems to be chocolate..." She hangs on the word chocolate.

"WHAT ABOUT YOU FRISK? OH, GOOD CHOICE!"

The freezer is closed and they make their way towards the checkout. The whole store is in suspense, and stepping back to let her go first in queue. You can't imagine the pressure on the poor cashier. Surprisingly, the transaction goes smoothly, but you can hear the nervousness in the cahsier's voice. The now ice cream wielding monsters give their thanks and make their way outside leaving just a pained sound from consuming said ice cream too fast.

Like a wind blowing through an aspen the store bursts into whispers. You shake your head and return to your cart. Where were you? Oh yeah, sponge. On the pile. Next is, planks and nails. You need to push hard to get your cart to spin on its wheels, but it cooperates after some convincing. The whispers surround you as you walk towards the woodworking.

"Did you see that?"

"Of course, how can they allow them inside?"

"Ice cream, can they eat our food? Did the big one wear sunglasses?"

"A skeleton?"

"Someone said that there was a child with them."

"Why did she not move from the door?"

The speaker system plays an ad for some celebrities' perfume and interrupts everyone. The crowd disperses back into the aisles but the whispers continue, albeit more private.

"I know I'm supposed to be scared or something, but the sunglasses did fit the big one really well."

"Combine that with her purple robe. Jeez, I wonder if there are stylists in the underground. She looked really good."

You feel a smirk form.

Aisle 34, wood and stuff. You open your phone to search for the right plank to buy. Again you're stationary, and again your ears decide to eavesdrop.

"So, I caught a glimpse of the new plans."

"From the mayor?"

The website takes a very long time to load.

"Yup, it appears that they want to build some kind of laboratory in the outskirts of the town, at the base of Mt Ebott. Didn't catch why though, could only look at it for a couple of seconds."

"Maybe they don't want us to hear the screams."

Worried chuckles.

"I heard that there were plans for another building, a school."

"A monster school perhaps? With spikes and slime?"

You accidentally misspell the name of the plank and have to reload the slow page.

"I guess that means that they are here to stay."

"Yeah, I'm just wondering if we're going to work together on these buildings. Maybe there's a monster that can mix cement, no one in this town can do it properly."

"Perhaps, or one that has like, eight arms."

"Hammer time, times four."

"Do the monsters have a union? Maybe we could hire some on the cheap cheap."

You finally get the name right, but the picture on the website is blurry, and you try to make out how it looks.

"And risk answering to their king? Have you seen him? Apparently he's got a silver tongue, he got building permits in just two days."

"Hm, you've got a point there."

"Anyway, kids and wife alright?"

"Somewhat shaken, but it will blow over."

You narrow your eyes, but you still can't make out how it differs from the other planks.

"You seem quite relaxed yourself."

"Deadline is coming up, can't afford to be afraid."

"Amen to that."

"Excuse me. Do you know where this plank is?" you interrupt the two builders, showing a picture on your phone.

"Yeah, it's on the other side of the aisle, first shelf."

"Thank you."

"That's quite a large cart you have there, do you have a car to bring it home?" one of the builder comments.

You just now realize that you might have a problem carrying a full cart plus some planks home with just two hands. Maybe if Undyne was here, but alas.

"Um, no, no I don't. I just realized," you say and laugh in frustration.

"Would love to give you a ride but there wont be any room, sorry."

"Don't sweat it, I'll figure something out."

You're interrupted by the other man laughing.

"Don't be rude, we all make mistakes," the first one spits, pushing the other one with one hand.

"No, I just had an idea. You see, there are some motorized wheelbarrows a couple of aisles down. I just had an image in my head that's all."

"You serious?"

"If you pack carefully."

"I'm not planning on buying much more, just the planks and new hinges for my window," you explain.

"They're not the cheapest solution you know."

"I've got some spare cash," you say with a smirk.

"Selling human secrets to the monsters?"

"Hehe, y-yeah, no," you stutter out.

"Sounds like we got ourselves a traitor to the human race! What did they offer you, except money?"

"Nothing, just money, but lots of it."

"Maybe we should switch career? The monsters would pay well for solar panel technology, I'd imagine."

"Sounds like a plan."

You laugh it off and thank them for their help. A motorized wheelbarrow, maybe you could slip by unnoticed now that everyone got monsters on their brains. You turn the aisle and grab the planks, balancing them on the top of your pile of products. They sway back and forth as you move towards the metalwork.

Your stuff almost slide off as you stop at the nails. You grab a package, and ask a clerk for the location of the hinges. After a store smile and a two fingered point you find the right ones and add them to your cart. You prop it against a shelf and start walking to where you were told the wheelbarrow where.

You grab a pamphlet. Green, beautiful steel, wooden handles with plastic grip, high class rubber wheel with a chain connected to a sturdy motor. Comes in both electricity and petrol. It's controlled like a scooter, but the handle is parallel instead of perpendicular to you. Volume of storage, just enough for your groceries, just like the builder said. Price, affordable, considering the amount of secrets you've been selling.

You marvel at the combination you never knew you wanted and you have a reason to buy it. You pick the eco friendly one and try it. The feeling of being dragged instead of pushing a wheelbarrow feels weird but you're sure you can get used to it. Screw it! Why not? You steer it back to your cart, but you're intercepted halfway there.

"Oh, my, god, you actually did it."

"Jealous?" you tease.

"Of course I am! Can I take a picture with you driving it home? Maybe I can convince our boss to get some for our site. I'll lend you some straps to hold your groceries in place," the builder proposes.

"Sure, meet you outside?"

"Absolutely! We are heading for the checkout, did you find the planks?"

"Yes I did. I'm also heading for the checkout."

"Perfect, I'll help you with your cart."

"I'll take ours then," the other builder offers.

"Oh, thanks."

You part ways with the other worker.

"So, you've seen the monsters yet? Besides selling them our secrets," your partner in shop asks.

"Yeah, I've seen some of them."

"So, what do you think?"

"I don't know really," you reply with a shrug.

"Do they scare you?"

"No, not really. They seem to be friendly."

"Can't imagine being locked up for so long. I would've been pissed but they seem to just be cool with it. I mean, sure they must be angry for being locked up, but they seem to be happy just being out," the builder says while pouting with his lips.

"Perhaps they remember that we lived together once."

"We did? Where did you hear that?" the builder asks you with a quizzical look.

You get to the end of the queue. The other worker is in the other line, ten people in front of you.

"Isn't it common knowledge?" you try to save.

"Not that I know, no. You sure you're not a spy?"

"I just thought people knew that we lived together for more time then we've been separated."

"Really? I grew up being told that they've always been locked up, but that there was this time a hundred years or so. My grand-grandmother lived in another village when a monster came from the mountain carrying a small human child. The monster walked to the flower patch in the center of the village, and fell to its knees. It carefully laid the child on the flowers and started to weep. She said that even though it was a large monster, it still cried like a kid. When my grandfather approached it it flung up, slashing his torso with its claws. He died right there on the spot." The builder breathes out. "The rest of the village was soon upon the monster, but it managed to escape using its magic. Apparently the child had been missing for some time and when the parents found out what happened they moved and the rest of the village soon followed, forming our town on the other side of Mt Ebott."

"Never heard that story before. Why haven't I, you would think something that important would be passed on?"

"The village made a truce to not speak of it. They thought that if they just forgot about it the monsters would stay locked up. My grandfather figured it was a good way to spook my kids, but considering what's been happening I'm inclined to believe it."

"But what about the village? Is it still there?"

"Official records say that they decided to move because the farmland here was better. Perhaps the magic corrupted the land, I don't know. I've visited and the land seems drained somehow now that I think about it," the builder explains.

"Your grandfather was right, it's some spooky stuff alright."

"Yup, he was proud of that story."

The builder helps you lift your things onto the register belt.

"What did the monster look like? You said it was large but it sounded like a child," you ask as you bend down for the shower gel.

"My grandfather heard the story on his mother's deathbed and she didn't remember. She was one of the youngest inhabitant and the only one to break the truce it appears. Otherwise there would be panic, not mistrust."

You wonder if Toriel or Asgore know anything more. A monster escaping the barrier, it would cause quite the stir you'd imagine.

"Thank you for telling me, interesting stuff."

"It got us through the queue, so I would say it was a win-win," the builder smiles out as he passes you.

"Sure it was. I'll pay for these and see you outside."

"Will do."

The total came close to the cash you brought, the wheelbarrow making up a large percentage. You refill your cart and head outside.

The workers are packing their stuff into their pickup. They stop when they see you and wave you over to them. They help you move your bags over to your wheelbarrow and strap it down. You lift it up and throttle it. You have to give it quite some power before it starts moving. It works! It actually works! You still have to push but the motor helps immensely.

"Just make some turns and then give it some speed," the builder instructs.

You gladly obey as you dance with it around the parking lot. You can get up to a brisk walk with the amount of stuff it carries.

"That's enough! You need some battery for the journey home. Come look at the footage. It turned out better than expected."

The three of you huddle around the phone and laugh at the movie.

"If that don't convince our boss then I don't know what will. Thank you and keep the straps, we got lots more."

"And thank you for the story," you reply.

"Did he tell you about the monster attack? His grandpa had dementia when he told him that, just so you know," the second builder explains.

"Dude, come on. It's my grandpa you're talking about."

"I don't want you going around and scaring everyone with that tale, that's all, and I don't want people to start believing the newspaper. If people are content with living with monsters that will mean that the monsters will have an easier time settling down above ground. More contracts for us," the second builder adds.

"Still, dude."

"Yeah, sorry, I overstepped there."

"It's OK," the builder nods and looks at his watch.

"We outta get back to work, it was nice meeting you."

You take his outstretched hand in yours, wave to other, rev your engine, and laugh with them one more time and roll home.


	8. It's raining somewhere else

You debate whether to walk on the side walk or on the bike way with your wheelbarrow, but since the street is mostly empty you decide to stay on the side walk. The sound of the engine will alert people you hope as you don't really have a good view in front of you.

You reach a crosswalk and have to stop early so that the planks don't stick out as they might hit a car. No idea reaching for the button where you stand so you walk around your mountain of consumerism and to your surprise you spot Toriel and Frisk walking on the other side of the street.

They're heading for the newly built block. Makes sense, they're were supposed to go on sale in like a month or two, but Asgore must have made a pretty generous offer. You wonder if you should greet them, but the decision is made for you.

As the light turns green Frisk's ear is right next to the button, and the rattling from it startles them. They react by flinching, and as they turn their head, they spot you. They squint even more, how is that even possible, and tug at Toriel's arm. She asks Frisk what they want, and then follows Frisk's finger towards you. She takes out the remainder of her ice cream, the handle, and waves you to her.

"Hello there again, human. So good to see you. How have you been?" she says warmly.

"Good, good. It's nice to see you too," you reply as warm as you can but your voice is like a candle next to the sun that is Toriel's voice.

"May I?" she asks with her paw stretched out towards you head.

"Sure," you answer, even though you're not sure what she means.

A soft paw grips your head, like a mother, holding her first born. She turns your head to inspect your injury. A furry thumb pushes your hair from the scar, massaging your lobe in the process.

"Seems to be healing nicely. Do you want me to heal it completely?" she asks with a smile that fills you with feelings long forgotten. A mothers touch, wanting nothing else than to help her child. Don't worry, it's just a scrape, here, let me bandage it, better? Don't cry, let me just get that silly tuff of hair out of your eye. I'll get you some sweets, sound good?

You feel tears building up and you twist your head out of her paw.

"No, mom, I'm fine."

The realization of what you said comes too late and she manages to reply.

"Ok, Asriel, if you say so."

There's a long moment of silence. You open your mouth to apologize, but nothing comes out. The two of you just stand there, looking at each other. You see a very familiar ripple form at the bottom of her right eye. She must have seen it herself because now it's she that averts her gaze. You can see tears hitting her fluffy ears as they spin around.

"S-sorry, I-I didn't mean to," you stutter out.

"Don't worry, child, it was my fault," she tries to reassure, but the instability in her voice scares you a bit. It's not much, but it's there. It feels very alien, and judging by her reaction, she think so as well. Frisk is tugging at her robe. This appears to be new ground for all of you. "Don't worry Frisk, it's the sun, it still stings. Let me get my sunglasses." Toriel tries again while reaching into her purse. You hope that Frisk don't catch on that they're standing with their backs against the sun. "There, much better."

Her voice is back to being as sturdy as a diamond. The confidence spills over to you, and you feel that you can suppress your tears. You decide to change the subject.

"How are you coming along with your school, Toriel?" you ask, focusing on each word to make them as stable as possible. "You said you wanted it up as soon as possible."

"Still looking for some teachers, I'm afraid. Human teachers. I'm trying to follow your advice, but so far there's not been many applications."

You scream in your head. Your resume! You haven't started writing it!

"Didn't you say that you had some experience?" she asks you.

"Yes I have. I had a summer job where I taught science classes for middleschoolers. To help them catch up," you reply. Your inner volume crossed over to your outer voice, but you managed to dampen it after some words.

"I shouldn't really be doing this. Asgore wants us to have a proper hiring process. I can understand that, but it's going to get harder and harder for us to fit in for each passing day. We need to start as soon as possible." She sighs. "Can you come over later today and do an interview with me? If what you say is true it would take a huge weight off my back."

The sigh of relief you exhale in your mind could knock Toriel off her feet.

"Of course I can. Just give me your address and I can be there around five?"

"At that time I will probably be at the town hall. That's fine though, we can have a pretend class! I'm sure Frisk would love that."

The definition of stone face stares right at you, hands still firmly wrapped in purple cloth.

"Then it's settled, town hall at five. What kind of class by the way?"

"You'll see when we get there, I've already prepared a curriculum," she says with pride.

"Fair enough, see you then."

"Will do. Thank you and farewell. Come now, Frisk. I'll bake us a pie when we get back home."

You wait until they are outside hearing distance and then some before you start cursing yourself out. How could let yourself slip like that? You've probably dug up something old and buried for her. Way to go, idiot! You grab your wheelbarrow and continue home.

The sound of the motor acts like a constant reminder. You screwed up, bad. If you didn't forgot to bring something to help you carry you would've not been in this situation.

"But what about her job offer?" the back of your head asks.

"Yeah, right! I'll be mighty surprised if she even wants to see me again, let alone work with me. That was something deep I said," you answer it.

"So what? She apologized, didn't she? We could hear her sincerity right?"

"Yeah, but why did she apologize? I started it."

"Well, technically she did. She caressed our head just like mom used to. We miss her, don't we."

"Of course I miss her! Not a day goes by."

"Yes, we know. It's just, the last couple of days have been amazing! New friends, new energy, and now we have a chance to finally have a job. Let's just nail the interview and then we'll take one day at a time. Dog poop coming up, be careful."

You sidestep it.

"Sounds good," you say to yourself.

The rest of the walk home goes by without further incidents. You decide to unpack from the patio since the front door has stairs leading up to it. You wheel your goods around the house. Once back on the patio, you release the straps and start unloading. Planks, paint and the nails stays outside while the rest goes inside. You smile at the fully stocked fridge and freezer with your mouth watering for lunch. Hard work first, reward later. You got some long overdue repairs to do. The missing wall being the most important.

Clouds are forming in the distance. Dark smudges on an otherwise blue canvas that is the sky could bring some rain, which could soak into the insulation, and leave both the house and you sour to the core. A quick trip to the shed to store and recharge your wheelbarrow and to get some tools later you start with the repairs.

You remove the broken planks and replace them with the new ones. Luckily the store had the correct length, so you can immediately start with the first layer of paint. First you fetch an old, long armed shirt, to wear. You're not in the mood to wash paint from your skin. You pop off the lid with a screwdriver and dip the brush halfway, wiping the excess paint against the edge and begin.

Long strokes, dad had taught you. Long and with the fibers. Wet on wet. Good job! Not too much paint though. It'll thicken up after another layer. Perhaps we should repaint the house next summer. Update us on your schedule when you get back to university. Nice work, let's eat.

You're not sure if it's sweat or tears that darken your sleeve as you wipe your face, both perhaps. You leave the first layer to dry.

The dining room window is heavier than you thought, but you manage to set it down carefully. The hinges are just rust, and it takes a valiant effort to unscrew them from the wall. The hinges almost crumble in your hand as they come loose. Fortunately, the wood is still somewhat fresh, and you manage to fasten the new hinges without readjusting the window. You can't remember the last time you last closed it, but your muscle memory does.

You still have a couple of hours before the paint needs another layer, so now is a good time as any to make some food. You chop some potatoes, crack an egg and open some sausages. The mix sizzles nicely in some olive oil, and it's not long before you scrape it on a plate. Some seasoning later you got yourself a nice lunch. A glass of cold apple juice to wash it down. Store bought, but maybe next season you can make some of your own. If the tree survives, that is.

Food in hand you take a seat outside figuring that it would be a good idea to enjoy the sun before it retreats behind the clouds. You lean back and close your eyes. The sun seems to give some extra flavor because this is some really good stuff you're putting in your mouth. It could also be that the weeks and weeks of boring noodles, but you let yourself dream.

A shadow darkens your eyelids for a bit and a breeze passes by you causing the chair next to you to squeak. You figure a cloud must have passed by. You shudder at the cold, but you're soon reheated by the the sun and another fork of food. You feel some sweat forming and reach for your glass of juice, but, it's not there. Still wanting to enjoy the sun you keep fumbling with your eyes closed, but the juice is nowhere to be found. Did it fall off?

"Glass in grass, dammit," you say to yourself. You open your eyes and scan through the white haze caused by the sun to see if you can spot it.

"not really."

You jolt sideways, away from the sound, and almost throw your plate away in the process.

"what do you call this?" Sans says, nose bone just above the rim of the glass.

"Apple juice, but how did you?" you answer.

"shortcut," he answers while retreating his nose. "could i bother you for something else?"

"Sure, the fridge is just around the corner."

He hands you back your glass and you instinctively smell it.

"No, no, I've always done that, it's not because you're a," you explain with your hand flailing in the air.

"and here i was under the impression that humans drank with their mouth."

He enters your house and returns after a short while with a bottle of ketchup.

"No thanks, eggs and ketchup don't mix," you kindly decline.

"good to know," he replies as he pops off the cap and takes a swig.

"Right, forgot about that."

You take a swig of your own, less viscous drink, and continue eating. The clouds are approaching slowly from the horizon, but maybe you can still apply the second layer in time.

"so, about those potatoes," Sans says after two more swigs.

"I just fried them together with the sausage and egg. Then some olive oil to give it some flavor and just a pinch salt. It carries over from the sausage so you don't really need much," you explain, showing the remainder of your food. You see him staring at you instead of your creation. "Ah, the other potatoes," you say as you take another bite. You swallow. "I met Toriel and Frisk an hour or so ago, they were coming home from the store."

"and how do you know that?"

"I saw them at the store."

"they didn't see you?"

Another swig of ketchup.

"There was like, a hundred people or so between us."

Another bite of food.

"you could have said hi."

"Didn't want the attention."

"attention?"

"On the dining table is a newspaper, it should explain."

You feel another breeze and see that Sans is now holding said newspaper.

"why do you have this?"

"It's free and opt out. Haven't bothered, and it makes for some good tinder. I got a stash next to the fireplace if you want to read more, though I don't know why you would."

You take a sip of juice while the skeleton skims through the pages. Despite being having no skin his face contracts into a multitude of different emotions. Like clay. It's fascinating. It finally settles on, annoyance, you think, or perhaps, anger? Yes, definitely anger. You prepare yourself.

"what?" he exclaims.

"Excuse me?"

"what is this?" he asks and smacks the top corner of the newspaper.

"Besides a waste of ink and trees?"

"that's not how a bar graph works."

"A skeleton of science, who would've thunk?" you wonder out loud before taking another bite.

"this is just- you can't make the bars wider! the proportion is all over the place."

"Glad to hear that we have something in common. I would recommend stopping there."

"you're talking about the articles right? don't worry, as you said, just a waste," Sans reassures, folding the newspaper and handing it to you. You put it aside.

"So, about this old acquaintance of yours? Mind giving me an explanation?"

"yes, i do."

"An apology then?"

"for what?" he asks with his eyes closed.

"Threatening me."

"that wasn't a threat, just, a bait of sorts."

"Bait for what?" you counter with furrowed brows.

"who, bait for who."

"And that who being the acquaintance I would guess, or are they a potato?" you spin the last piece on your fork before you eat it. You've now finished your meal.

"more like a parasitic fungus to be honest."

"Wouldn't want that messing up your yard," you agree as you balance your plate on the top of your fence.

"exactly. so i hope you understand my caution."

"I guess."

An uneasy silence falls upon you as you process what he said. You remind him of a parasitic fungus? Did he have a bad roommate or something? Your thoughts are interrupted by distance thunder.

"Bet you didn't have this down in the underground?"

Sans wakes up. How did he fall asleep so fast? He looks at the clouds and despite his constant smile you feel that it's genuine now. "no, i've heard stories about the rain. how it forms, how it comes, and how it goes. i hope it's not as stale as it is down under."

"Didn't Asgore say something about water finding its way down the cracks?"

"which means that it only rains in predetermined areas, if we were lucky another crack would form and we would have another puddle. but up here, it always rains somewhere else. you can wake up in the morning and it can be sun, and then an hour later it could pour like the waterfall."

"Not sure if I'm familiar with that expression."

"there exists an area that we call the waterfall. our easiest source of fresh water, and with nothing else to compare falling water to i guess we adopted it to describe a lot of raining."

"That might win me some points with the others. Up here we say that it's raining cats and dogs," you explain.

"it does?"

"Never experienced real cats and dogs falling down from the sky, but with all the magic you guys bring I'm sure we will figure something out. Which reminds me, how diverse are your people and their magic?"

"wrong monster to ask i'm afraid."

"I know Toriel's and Undyne's magic. How about the others, surely you would know?" you pry.

"asgore has fire like toriel. alphys i don't know. frisk is a human, and papyrus turns you blue."

"He turns me blue? Like, my skin, or blue as in depressed?"

"nope, he turns this blue," he says, pushing his finger against your heart. Nothing happens. "huh, interesting."

You look at the spot, but all that's there is his finger.

"I don't feel anythi-," you start before being interrupted by his finger flicking your nose.

"feeling blue?"

"So, your magic is tricking people," you say while massaging away the impact.

"among other things."

"Like?"

"where i come from you don't really ask about another monster's magic. it's sorta personal, so excuse me for not telling."

"Didn't know that it was personal, sorry."

"the fact that you've seen two already should speak volume to how lucky you are."

"My apple tree would like to have a word about feeling lucky," you point out with a finger towards the darkened tree.

"wood love to speak with it but i don't know anyone that speaks with trees."

"I've met people that claimed that they could."

"you make it seem like they were lying about it."

"They said the tree wasn't feeling talkative which was a shame because it was cut down the day after. But I digress, how diverse are the monsters?"

"again with the personal questions," Sans reminds with his eyes closed, again.

"Not really. I just want a heads up to what if I decide to visit."

"i would recommend postponing that idea for a while."

"Frisk seems okay, why would I be in danger?" you ask with a questioning hand.

"things are still a little tense, and not only up here. we remember who won the battle, and that's why there's only a few of us that left in the first place. don't get me wrong, we'd love to return, but frisk wasn't the first human to enter the underground and, you know what, i've said too much."

"Come on now, don't leave me hanging here! There were other humans? Where are they now?" you try to pry again but the skeleton is fast asleep. You sigh, and start collecting your dishes. As you reach for the ketchup bottle a bony hand blocks your attempt.

"leave it."

"If you tell me what happened to the other humans."

"take it."

You pick up the bottle and carry it, and your plate inside. You rest it all on the sink and start washing up. Five minutes later everything is dried and in their respective cupboard. Just the, wait a minute, where's the ketchup? Did you drop it? The sound of a plastic top hitting stone gives you the information you seek. You peek your head out the patio door..

"ah, ah, ah, it's personal," Sans reminds you again with his bottle in his face.

You retreat back through the door and close it. Prying just seem futile at this point, and besides, you've got other things on your mind. Maybe you should do a practice lesson before your practice lesson.

You go upstairs into the office to retrieve your old books and your curriculum papers. They're just a couple of years old so they shouldn't be too out of date. You take a seat at the desk and start reading. You have a lot of this stuff still in your head, but a reminder shouldn't hurt.

Encourage the pupils. Make every lesson fun. Group projects. How to help kids that are struggling. How to help kids that are spearing ahead stay interested. Never scream. Stay with the curriculum. You got this, no problem. You decide to skim through the textbooks.

Science, religion, math, history, you're pretty sure that you know all this like the back of your hand. But, um, isn't this a human curriculum? How much will the monster's differ from your? You pan yourself for not asking Toriel, but maybe Sans knows.

You close the books and make your way downstairs. The color of your house have shifted from a pleasant bright orange to a dull gray. Must be that the clouds are drawing closer. You step outside on the patio to investigate. Wind's picking up, but the dark clouds are still far away. You can see faint thunder in the distance though.

The skeleton is snoring with the ketchup firmly in his hands, like a baby with its bottle. You quickly find your painting shirt and return to the water barrel. Despite the looming rain you still paint slowly. If you stress you can maybe save five minutes which won't help when the rain comes, and you might fail to make it stick. Twenty long minutes later, with small raindrops hitting your neck from time to time, you're done. Nothing more you can do but hope that the storm passes by.

"if your shirt were blue we would be matching," Sans comments, pointing at the dots of red paint strewn about on your clothing.

"Bet yours would taste better. Listen, I need to go soon and I need to get the chair padding in the chest so if you could just." You motion with your hands and Sans follows, surprisingly. You stuff the pillows back into the plastic chest and lock it. You fold your chair and prop it up against the wall. As you reach out to do the same with Sans's his bony hand interrupts you, again.

"could i maybe watch the storm from here?"

"Um, sure, but can't you do that from your house?"

Wind picks up again.

"we don't have lawn chairs. didn't come with the house and i haven't bought any."

"Why not?"

A leaf settles itself on Sans head, he ignores it.

"didn't want the attention."

"I see, but I'm going to lock the doors," you explain as you walk around him towards the door. "Don't think about using the window. I've fixed it."

"don't worry, i know a shortcut home. i will be home before it start to rain dogs and cats."

"You're dressed for the weather I suppose." You notice, indicating towards Sans' jacket. "Just prop the chair next to other one when you feel like you're done."

A rumbling from the distant storm can be heard.

"thank you, human. i've waited a long time for this."

"Anytime skelebro, anytime. Maybe you'll stop threatening me after this."

"depends. good luck with the interview," he says before you close the patio door.

You wave goodbye through the glass and pack your stuff, raincoat on just in case. You lock the door and start heading your way towards the Town Hall.


	9. And now it's raining here

Having the sun in your face and feeling wet winds hitting you in the back is messing with your head. You feel like you're gonna start sweating but at the same time you want to put on an extra layer. Maybe you should walk the other half backwards to even it out? Despite the discrepancy in your body temperature you still manage to enjoy the weather. There's not been a good storm for some time and the rain will do the farmers good.

You walk on the edge of light and darkness as the clouds make their way across the sun leaving a line of shadow that follows you, it's a large distance behind you but it's moving faster then you. You wonder if it'll catch up before you arrive. Better enjoy the sun while it's out, you reckon. That's not to say that you dislike the rain, no, on the contrary, you prefer it over the sun from time to time. The smells it produces, the sound of it hitting the metal roof, the feeling of it hitting your face, the puddles it makes.

You used to jump in them with your, sister. With her red boots and her raincoat, which was too big for her, it was like a rubber dress, her scraped knees browned from the muddy water being splashed as she found yet another puddle. Hand in hand you would scour the land looking for the deepest one. You hope that the rain catches up so that you have a reason to be wet besides the tears. Deep breaths, deep breaths, clear your head.

A faint smell of ozone slips in and you look back towards the darkened sky. It is still moving towards the town, towards your wet paint. You sigh, nothing you can do about it now. Focus on the task ahead. Keep that study session fresh.

The street is rather empty despite it being the main street. Monsters or the brewing storm, you wonder? Little bit of column A, little bit of column B, drawn by someone else than Miss. Can't Make A Proper Bar Graph. Thoughts of smashing her head against her keyboard fills your head. Sans would certainly join in the festivities as he sounded just as annoyed as you were when he saw that abomination. You two might have had a bad start, but it seems that the two of you did find something to build upon. He seems like a pretty chill guy after all. Not really best friend material, but he doesn't seem to want one. You can live with that.

The shadow line passes you, and your world turns gray, except for a bit of an orange glow coming from the edge of town. It's a nice sunset. The smell turns more bitter as you keep walking though. You've heard a lot of lightning behind you, but never smelt ozone this strong before. Something is off. As you continue down the street the air becomes grayer and grayer. You look up and see that the clouds are darkening as well. Is it moving that quickly? Your paint is probably dripping on to the grass and the wood is probably destroyed so you have to buy some more tomorrow.

You kick a can in frustration and make an annoyed grunt, it takes a toll on your throat. That's weird, it stings really bad. You cough to try to get it out but it just makes it worse. What is happening? Lightning can't produce this much ozone. You need to practically be standing in a a swarm of them and that wouldn't even come close. Your eyes are watering as well, the air is stingy, causing tears to run down your face. You dry them off only to discover something on your sleeve.

"Soot?" you ask out loud. You run a finger on your cheek. Yep, that's soot, but from where? You can't see any- Oh, the sunset, it's only early afternoon. Something is on fire. Oh, my god! it's coming from the monsters block. You fumble out your phone.

"Please state your emergency," a voice picks up after you dial the emergency number.

"Yes, hello, there appears to be a fire in the newly built block! Please send a fire engine."

"A fire engine is on its way, we've had a number of people call in before you did."

"Oh, good."

"But thank you for calling, you should always call when there's an emergency. Now let the professionals do their job," the voice asks of you before it disconnects, and you decide to cross the street in hope of finding some fresh air.

Color returns to your vision which each passing step and your breathing becomes easier. You look back and can now see that the sun is still out, there was just a thick, black, poisonous cloud of charred wood in the way. You take some greedy breaths, the smoke sticks to your throat leaving behind a disgusting taste as you try to exhale it. You hope that the wind don't shift so that the smoke stays on the other side of the street.

You take another breath, spit out the last of the smoke and massage your throat. Should have brought some water with you. Hopefully you can survive until you get to the town hall. The sun isn't helping either, you catch yourself wanting the rain to arrive but you're quick to remind yourself about your wall. You'll survive.

As you walk along the black corridor of ash and carbon you try to spot the location of the fire but the poisonous veil is blocking your sight, you can see it rise from the block but you can't pinpoint the exact source. You can hear faint sirens, coloring the gray smoke red and blue and hopefully hard at work at controlling the fire. Did Toriel or Asgore start it? They are the only monsters you know that can control fire but what motivation would they have? Did a human do it? It's true that many are suspicious of the monster but not to a degree that they would do something like that.

Your head shoots up in revelation, the pastor. That fucking asshole, first he has the nerve to accuse your family of bringing the end times, desecrating your parents grave in the process, and now he goes after your friends. Next time you see him, nothing left, you swear. Undyne can lend you a spear. You can feel your cheeks blush in excitement. Limb after limb, you'll make him squeal like the disgusting pig he is. It's his fault, he started it, you're just making it fair, the first human on his knees against the monsters' wrath.

"Hey, you alright?" someone yells, startling you and snapping you back to reality. Good thing too, where did the last part come from?

"Yeah, I'm fine," you respond without thinking. Are you really? No, you're not, you clutch your head.

"You're covered in soot, have you been inside the smoke?" A brightly colored woman walks towards you and stops you in your track. "Follow my finger with your eyes," she continues.

You struggle to do as she says and she follows you gently as she makes you sit down.

"Just relax and breathe, you've been inhaling smoke and you've got some carbon monoxide in your system. Here, use this," she explains as she puts a mask on your face. "Breathe."

Like being thrown into a icy lake you spring awake as the first stream of oxygen enters your lungs. You take another gulp and cough violently.

"Good, get that smoke out of your lungs," she says as she returns the mask to you. "Carbon monoxide poisoning can manifest as headaches and confusion, have you experienced any of that?"

"No," you reply. Technically you're not lying.

"Great, but let's do some more oxygen just to be sure."

"Just keep it coming, this is some great stuff."

"I know, I'd join you but I'm on the clock now."

You share a laugh and after two more rounds you feel good as new. She helps you up.

"Follow my finger."

You feel your eyes responding to your commands again and she seems satisfied.

"Where are you heading? We've closed off the road leading to the fire so you might need to take another path," she asks, removing her own mask in the process.

"The town hall, heading there for an interview."

"Shouldn't be in harms way. If you're unlucky the smoke could follow you for a while, but it shouldn't be thick enough to cause any problem. Maybe you should wash your face when you arrive."

"Will do. Do you know how the fire started?" you wonder while squinting against the flashing lights.

"I'm stationed here to redirect traffic and help people in your situation so I'm not up to speed, but it looks like your standard house fire."

"Was it an accident or did someone start it?"

"Can't tell at this moment, we'll know more when the fire is out."

She points at the storm.

"Looks like we might be getting some help."

You look back at your house but you can't find it, the rain is in the way. You hum in frustration. "You're not worried that the lightning might cause more fires?"

"If the wind keeps steady the storm part will just go over the plains."

You hear static whispering coming from her, and she puts a finger next to her ear.

"Would love to continue talking but my colleagues have spotted some cars heading this way. Take care."

"Could I get one for the road?" you beg jokingly while making the shape of the mask with your hand. You're surprised that she agrees to your request. You feel your eyes open up and you head getting clearer. You say your thanks, wave goodbye, and continue on with renewed strength.

The town hall is one of the oldest building in the city, on the outside. It was renovated a couple of years ago. Where they got the money for it you're still puzzling about. You open one of the double doors, its ornate handle fits nicely with the more ornate door, abstract circles and creative interpretations of other shapes clad it. It's nice. Despite its size it opens silently. The lobby is empty of people, so you take the opportunity and make your way towards the bathroom.

You wash the soot off your face and it turns the white sink sickly gray. You wipe away as much as you can. Your clothes were protected by the soot, good thing you came prepared with an extra layer. It did protect against the complete opposite of what it was supposed to, but you decide not to look your gift horse in the mouth. You hang up your outer layer and brush away the soot that fell off onto your shirt. You walk to the reception and ring the bell.

Nothing.

You ring again.

Still nothing.

You take a seat and wait.

Thirty minutes pass and you start to wonder if Toriel made it out of the inferno. A while later you start hearing footsteps through the wall, but they're too light to be Toriel's. The door is flung open to reveal two dark figures standing under an umbrella which is as dark as they are.

"Human, are you here too? Did you also burn down your house?" Undyne spouts, waving her hand and getting ash all over the doorway.

"No, I'm here to see Toriel, I'm applying as a teacher," you say, baffled by what you see and hear. "So the fire is your doing?"

"Yeah, I was preparing dinner when suddenly the stove caught fire. I thought only monster stoves did that."

"You've burned down your house before?" you scoff out.

"Plenty of times, but I thought that it was because the monster stove couldn't handle my-" she is interrupted by an ashen Alphys elbowing her in the ribs causing a small shower of soot to form between them.

"Cooking?" you pry.

"Uh, yes, my cooking, the monster stoves can't handle it," she replies, her smile making a wide area of white in her otherwise black facade.

"So why are you here?"

"We called Asgore and he promised to get us a new house, he's used to it by now."

"I suppose you want to freshen up before meeting him. There are some showers just around the corner," you explain with a nod towards the room.

"Is there? Awesome! If Asgore comes tell him that we're in the shower. Come on, Alphee."

Alphys doesn't get a say in the matter as Undyne lifts her up above her head. She leaves black footprints after her as she rushes the corner leaving a stripe as she glides around it. The soot hangs in the air and you move seats to avoid it. The door is thrown open and closed with equal force. You hear the pipes shake a couple of seconds later. You desperately try to find something to think about except the monsters showering naked behind you. Water! Yes, water! You're thirsty.

You step over the black line left behind by Undyne and make your way to the water fountain. It tastes stale and warm. With all their renovation money they couldn't afford some ice water? You quench your thirst as far as you can and head back to your seat.

There's a drip, so you go back and tighten the handle. There's another drip, so you tighten it harder. A third drip, so your fingers turn white as you twist the handle again. Another drip and another, but you don't see them. Strange. You bend down to inspect the pipes under the fountain. Nope, dry as bone. More drips! Their pace is picking up, but you can't find the source. Did you break it? Is it leaking inside the wall?

You put your ear next to the wall. You can hear them hitting something on the other side, or maybe they're inside the wall. You drag your ear on the wall to find the source, but you can't find one, there's water everywhere. You continue until you hear a shift in pitch, the water is falling faster. How big is this leak?

You stand up but hit your head on something. You clutch your head and search for the perpetrator. You find it, it was the windowsill, under the window, which is wet on the outside because of the rain. You sigh an annoyed sigh and get up. An umbrella is closed right behind you and you almost jump out of your skin. You turn to see who it belongs to.

"HELLO AGAIN HUMAN, NICE WEATHER WE'RE HAVING!" proclaims Papyrus. His scarf hangs heavily over his shoulder, but other than that he's just as dry as you.

"You call this nice? It's raining like the waterfall."

"I THOUGHT ONLY MONSTERS SAID THAT, WE ARE MORE ALIKE THAN I THOUGHT! I NEED TO TELL SANS, HE WILL BE SO HAPPY!"

"Matter of fact, he told me about it. He came for a visit a couple of hours ago," you explain as you rub the back of your head.

"THAT'S WONDERFUL! DID HE RETURN YOUR COVER?"

"Not that I know of, no. He didn't mention it when we spoke."

"THAT LAZY PILE OF BONES! HE'S PROBABLY SLEEPING UNDER IT AS WE SPEAK!"

"Ha, yeah, probably. But Papyrus, why would you ever call this weather nice?"

"BECAUSE IT IS RAINING!" he says proudly with a finger raised.

"Yes?"

"AND I DIDN'T KNOW THAT IT WOULD BE RAINING EARLIER TODAY!"

"Sans mentioned something like that," you remember.

"YEAH, HE WAS VERY MUCH LOOKING FORWARD TO SEE IT RAIN ABOVE GROUND!"

"He actually stayed at my place to look at the storm."

"THAT'S REALLY COOL, CAN I ALSO COME OVER NEXT TIME?"

"Of course, bring your spaghetti."

You have a feeling that you might regret that.

"AND WE COULD EAT IT WHILE WE'RE WATCHING THE THUNDER?" Papyrus squeaks out while holding his head in his mittens, he looks like he's just struck gold.

"Sounds like a great idea, maybe we should invite the others too?"

"EVEN BETTER, I CAN'T WAIT, BUT I KNOW WHAT TO DO!"

"And what would that be?"

"I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE BEEN STUDYING YOUR HUMAN TRADITIONS! LIKE HELPING OLD LADIES ACROSS THE STREET, AND THE ART OF RAIN DANCING!" he proclaims while striking a heroic pose.

"Did you now, oh great Papyrus? So you are responsible for this downpour."

He bends over in deep thought, mitten on chin, his equivalent of eyebrows hangs low over two narrow slices of eye hole, "MAYBE I AM, I FOUND AN OLD BOOK IN THE LIBRARY THAT HAD THE RITUAL AND I PRACTICED AT HOME LATER, WHICH MEANS!" He springs up, "THIS STORM IS MY DOING! SANS WILL BE OVERJOYED WHEN I TELL HIM ABOUT IT! I'M THE GREAT PAPYRUS, DANCER OF RAIN!"

"I bet you are but maybe run the dance again tomorrow to really be sure."

"WILL DO HUMAN, CALL ME UP LATER WHEN YOU WANT TO INVITE US OVER!"

"Sure will, what's your phone number?"

He tells you the numbers and you give them a ring so he can add yours.

"The number you have dialed is not in service," informs a robot voice.

"It says that the number is not in use," you relay. You tell him to run the numbers again, they're correct.

"HM, MAYBE YOUR HUMAN PHONES ARE DIFFERENT FROM OUR MONSTER PHONES!"

"Wait, this is a monster phone number? You had phones underground?"

"GREAT ONES TOO! YOU COULD TALK, TEXT AND EVEN BROWSE THE UNDERNET!"

"Undernet?"

"IT'S LIKE, A WEB OF INFORMATION BUT INSTEAD OF BEING EATEN BY MUFFET YOU CLICK ON TEXT AND PICTURES THAT TAKE YOU TO OTHER TEXTS AND PICTURES, IT IS COMPLICATED TO EXPLAIN BUT IF YOU JUST GIVE ME A MINUTE!" He produces a pen and a notebook from his armor.

"I'm pretty sure that we have something similar we humans. I didn't think you had such, modern technology," you think out loud.

"ALPHYS CAN EXPLAIN MORE, LET ME CALL HER!"

"I don't think she will answer."

"WHY IS THAT, IS SHE WATCHING ANIME?"

"No, she is showering actually."

"AT HOME? HOW DO YOU KNOW THAT?"

"No, no, in the showers over there," you say, pointing at the same corner as you did with Undyne. He starts walking towards the door. "Papyrus?" you ask, but you don't get a reply. He stops when he hears the shower and lifts his hand.

"ALPHYS, I NEED YOUR HELP EXPLAINING YOUR SCIENCE TO THE HUMAN!" Papyrus yells after three hard knocks.There's a moment of silence as the showers stop. He raises his hand again. "ALPHYS?"

The answer comes in the form of a large blue spear breaking a sizable hole in the bathroom door and hitting Papyrus in the chest. He is lunged backwards onto the opposing wall with the spear is burrowed deep in his armor.

"Papyrus! You know it's rude to knock when someone is showering! How many times do I have to tell you this?" Undyne screams through the door, her head popping out of the hole mid sentence.

"HELLO, UNDYNE, IS ALPHYS THERE? I WOULD LIKE TO TALK TO HER!" Papyrus says. He seems worryingly unfazed by her attack.

Undyne's head disappears back into the bathroom and another spear is thrown again knocking Papyrus back. "Alphee is busy, we'll talk to you later."

"YES, MA'AM!" Papyrus replies, saluting with his mitten. He strides back to you with the same smile that he had when he left you.

"You alright?" you ask him as he gets closer.

"YES, HUMAN! DON'T WORRY, AS A ROYAL GUARDSMAN IT IS MY JOB TO BE VIGILANT AND TO BE PREPARED TO BE ATTACKED AT ANYTIME! UNDYNE IS GIVING ME SOME GREAT TRAINING! IT MIGHT LOOK DANGEROUS, BUT I SHALL NOT FALTER MY DUTIES!"

He stops next to you seemingly unaware that you have to duck so you don't get hit by the blue sticks as he turns his chest towards you.

"Speaking of duties, why are you here?"

"TORIEL ASKED ME IF I WOULDN'T MIND PICKING UP THE MONSTER KIDS AFTER CLASS!"

"That means we're both waiting for her class to end. She's going to interview me so that I can teach for the kids."

"YOU ARE? FANTASTIC! I HOPE YOU HAVE READ UP ON YOUR HUMAN MAGIC!" Papyrus informs with a concerned finger.

"We humans don't use magic," you reply while shaking your head.

"NO SECRETS, REMEMBER? I SAW PLENTY OF BOOKS IN YOUR HUMAN LIBRARY!"

"They're not-" you start, but you're startled by the sound of wet footsteps closing in behind you.

"Here is your nerd, nerds," Undyne yells, placing Alphys in between you and Papyrus. She returns to the showers yelling something about her hair and the room turns quiet for a couple of seconds. Alphys finally removes her claws from her eyes.

"Oh, hi, Papyrus."

"HELLO, ALPHYS, I HAVE SOME QUESTION ABOUT YOUR SCIENCE!" The color from her face drain as he utters the word science. "THE HUMAN WAS WONDERING ABOUT HOW IT COULD WORK WITH THEIR HUMAN EQUIVALENT!"

"Y-you have t-t-he s-sa-me? No, no, you can't, Asgore will, no," Alphys stammers out before collapsing with her head in her claws, sobs and muffled panic is echoing through the lobby.

"Alphys, what's the matter? Did I ask about something wrong? It's only that I can't call Papyrus on my cellphone," you say as carefully as you can and put a hand on her shoulder. You show her your phone with your other.

"C-c-cellphone?" she replies confused, searching your face for clarification.

"YES, YOU SEE, I GAVE MY NUMBER TO NYEEEH!"

Papyrus is interrupted by a third spear hitting the edge of his breastplate.

"If you've hurt my cuddlesaur, I swear PUNK, the next one will hit you," Undyne threatens, a rubber band is dangling off one of her long teeth which is reflecting the bright blue aura of her spear.

"N-n-no Undy, it was just a misunderstanding, please don't kill anyone."

The sobs return.

"I was just asking her about my cellphone," you add, waving it in your hand. Why did this turn so hostile all of a sudden?

Before Undyne can answer you hear a door open down the lobby, a herd of differently numbered limbs exit wearing multicolored sweaters. They are followed by Toriel who sees you.

"Hello, we can start in a minute or so. Let me just get these home safe," she yells over a sea of babbling kids discussing snails.

You help Alphys back on her feet. You scan for Undyne but you can't find her.

"Sure, be with you in a second," you reply.

So much for a clear head.


	10. Class is in session

"You take care of the little ones now Papyrus. Drive safely."

"WOULDN'T DREAM OF DOING ANYTHING ELSE! SAFETY IS MY MIDDLE NAME! ALONG WITH GREAT! COME NOW CHILDREN, THERE'S PLENTY OF ROOM AND SPAGHETTI!"

Like a drilled military the kids produce umbrellas from their backpacks and open them, fittingly it sounds like a machine gun firing. The lobby grows quieter as Papyrus leads them outside. The last thing you hear is a blue four legged monster questioning whether or not snails would work as dessert.

You do wonder that yourself.

"Toriel, you wouldn't know where Asgore is do you?" Undyne asks with her hands tinkering with her hair.

"I'm afraid you're more familiar with him than I am," Toriel replies.

Undyne removes the rubber band from her mouth and continues tinkering. "He told us he would meet us here, but maybe he's running late. Can we join your lesson while we wait? I want to see a human teacher in action."

"If it's OK with them," Toriel says while looking at you.

"Um, sure, I mean, might as well start with two before jumping to a whole class," you answer while shrugging your shoulders.

"Good thinking, dear. Are you ready?"

"I hope so."

The four of you enter the classroom and Toriel erases the notes from the previous lecture from the whiteboard. Alphys takes a seat, and Undyne finds a pen and paper. She writes something down and walks out to the lobby.

"I'm just leaving a note if Asgore comes," she says as she returns. She then takes a seat next to Alphys.

Toriel finishes cleaning off the whiteboard and hands you a book as she proceeds down the classroom.

"This is the book I want you to teach. I'm going to give you a couple of minutes to familiarize yourself with it," she explains as she seats herself next to Undyne. The stool creaks.

You make your way behind the teacher's desk and start exploring the book.

"Using Magic: How to ensure steady usage and growth of inherent abilities," by Rauhot Loschar.

"Magic?" you question.

"Hm?" Toriel answers.

"You want me to teach magic, but, humans can't use magic," you explain.

"Yes, you can, you made the barrier," Undyne chips in.

"You didn't say that it was magical. I thought it was some sort of, I don't know, but not magical."

"But Papyrus said that you had plenty of books on magic in your library. Why would he lie?" Toriel wonders.

"There are books about magic it's just that they're-"

"Then you do know about magic! Can we continue with the lesson?" Undyne cuts you off.

"They're more like illusions. Like this." In one move you bend your right thumb behind your fingers and cover the other one with your finger leaving the nail visible. You make sure that it looks that the two thumbs are actually one. You scan your audience. Undyne is leaning forward with her eyes wide open, her mouth is open in suspension. Alphys is cowering literally waiting for the magic to happen, tail in hand as usual. Toriel has her hand on her mouth in deep concentration.

You wink twice with your eyebrows and exclaim a magical phrase as you pop the upper half of your thumb from your lower half. The shock of your successful illusion knocks both Undyne and Alphys back screaming, tables and chairs go flying and you throw your hands up.

"No no no no, see, my thumbs are here!" you say, flicking your thumbs in the air.

"You can grow them back?" Undyne yells out in confusion.

"No, Undyne, I never pulled it off, it was just an illusion."

They scramble back on their feet, but the first three rows are now in severe disorder.

"Never ever do that again!" Undyne demands.

"I just wanted to show what the difference was. You have proper magic, this is just fake."

"I-i-t l-looked r-real," Alphys stammers out while tapping her claws nervously.

"Now now, Alphys, calm down," Toriel pleads in her trademarked soothing voice.

"I promise that it's only used for entertainment, I didn't mean to scare you," you reassure again.

"Human, though I respect your creativity with the source material I can't have you scaring your pupils. Please stick to the book," Toriel explains in a surprisingly serious tone.

"Yes, sorry, of course."

The first page contains a foreword from Asgore. "For the strengthening and pursuit of magic learning in our younger generation I offer this book my blessing," from Asgore Dreemurr. There's another foreword. "hOi!" by Temmie. Powerful, you think. The bottom corner is taken up by a picture of what you presume is Rauhot, he looks like the monster equivalent of Mister Lister. You pray that it is not the case. The next page proofs that there is no God.

Step 1: Comfort.

As the magic starts to present itself in the child it may feel uncomfortable. Depending on the magic type there could also be shift in moods. Drastic ones if left unattended.

That is not to say that you should discipline the child for those mood shifts, but instead you should talk with the child. Ask them how they feel and try to understand what they are going through.

Step 2: Open up

Magic is based on emotions, but letting your emotions get the best for you is seldom a good idea. As you talk with the child, share with them your own experience, tell them how it felt for you. As the presence of the child's magic becomes stronger the emotion it requires grows. This can manifest in outbursts of rage, decisions that may seem rash or illogical, and sometimes an excessive amount of crying may erupt. If your magic allows it, link them together. Having a sturdy soul to lean against can help immensely.

Step 3: Reassure

This phase is something all monsters go through, and though it may take a toll on the child, remind them that it's something natural and that they will be stronger because of it. Their magic is nothing to be afraid of. They will get through this, with your help, they will.

Step 4: Encourage

All magic is unique, but sometimes the usage won't present itself so clearly. Find something positive about it and polish it till it becomes clear. Remind the child that all magic is useful, everything from conjuring to destroying. As with the latter, if the child expresses fear over its abilities, remind them that they control their magic, not the other way around.

You finish skimming through the list, at least their Lister is better than your.

"Human, I just remembered, the first fifty pages are dedicated to monster parents, the second half is for teachers," Toriel says with a little blush.

"Figured as much," you reply and flip the pages.

As a teacher you are an extension of the guardians, not a replacement. You should teach the fundamentals about magic usage and the expression of one's soul. Split your classes between exploring both in similar detail, they are not the same thing. Show off your own magic and explain to them what they can accomplish but keep in mind that you don't promise too much. Using prominent monsters as examples, like Undyne and Asgore, is an effective way of stirring growth.

As the different magics start to appear you might find yourself with the thought of splitting them up depending on their type of magic. Don't! You may risk imposing an us versus them mentality. An example of playing to conjuration and destruction magic is to let the conjurers try to build something that's really difficult to destroy. If it breaks by the other kids' magic, ask them how the conjurers could improve their design, make them work together and build their magic together.

Great information, but how do you translate it? It seems like magic is best taught practically, using games and group projects. What about that soul stuff? You find it in the index and flip to the appropriate page.

A monster's soul is their source of magic usage and is just as unique as the magic it manifests. A child's soul is very moldable, and with the right guidance, that hopefully being you, it can grow to expel great magic.

In contrast to the practical teachings of magic the soul is best encouraged through deep thought. The seed is experiences and the fertilizer is reflection, an hour of silent reading or discussion about something relevant to the life and on goings of your pupils. Make them think about the world, the insight will help them understand themselves and their soul will grow along.

Contrary to popular belief the soul is not the source of ones magic, it is a catalyst in which magic can manifest outside the body. Monsters are made of magic and by learning more about how magic works and how one works magic you can increase the effectiveness of the souls. But to grow it you need to learn about yourself, why are you here, what is your purpose.

Both disciplines are worth chasing, they're equal in enhancing ones magical abilities. Why schools should pursue the latter is to even out the high intense lessons of magic usage with the somber, more quieter lessons of soul growing. The exploration of magic outside of school should be encouraged of course but the curriculum should give the student some high intensity lessons and some lower intensity lessons so that they don't get bored.

"Do you feel comfortable starting the lesson?" Toriel interrupts.

"This stuff still feels foreign to me," you comment as you scratch your head.

"I know that it is asking much," Toriel pleads, her voice filling you with love and confidence.

You close the book and sigh through your lips.

"Screw it, let's start."

"That's the spirit human, fill me with your knowledge. Make my brain explode from the information!" Undyne cheers.

"J-just do what comes natural," Alphys adds.

You take a deep breath.

"I apologize if I'm interrupting. I saw your note Undyne, and I'm off to meet the mayor. Wait for me in the lobby," Asgore's head says before retreating back to the lobby. There's a moment of silence. Toriel's annoyed face is staring at the door before she motions with her hand for you to continue.

"So, yeah, welcome to your first lesson in magic and soul usage. For a starter, why don't we go around the class and introduce ourselves and our magic?" you start. "Starting with you."

"Well, my name is Toriel. I'm the headmaster for this school, and my magic is fire and healing."

"Hello Toriel, looking forward to seeing your magic," you reply.

"Greetings everyone, my name is Undyne. I'm the head of the Royal Guard and my magic is conjuring spears and green magic."

"Nice to meet you Undyne, you're gonna have to explain what green magic is later."

You shift your eyes towards Alphys.

"U-um, h-hey, I'm Alphys and I-i'm the Royal Scientist, I think. My m-magic is, uh."

Her grip on her tail hardens.

"Relax Alphys, you don't have to share if you don't want to," you assure. "So, now that we've gotten to know each other, how about we start with some meditation."

A blue arm is raised.

"Yes, Undyne?"

"What's meditation?"

"Meditation is when you relax yourself and try to find your center, a sort of, exploration of the soul. It's a popular human tradition."

"So how do we meditate?" Toriel wonders.

"We can start off by finding something more comfortable to sit on."

"So human schools are just sitting around being comfortable? Awesome," Undyne cheers.

"Not really, this is unfortunately an exception rather than the rule," you explain as you start opening the various cabinets in the room looking for something more relaxing to use. No luck, they're filled with various instrument and books. At least you can use them for other lessons.

"What about this door?" Undyne asks, tugging at the handle of a door at the back of the classroom.

"Oh, I was told not to open that," Toriel answers.

"No reason?" you question.

"No."

"Huh. So no key?"

"I'm afraid not, child."

"I see," you hum out before walking back behind the teacher's desk. It is littered with various papers and documents, you make an effort not to read any of them. Come on, one of them must have, aha! Nice, another one just beside it! You hold the paperclips high in triumph.

"What are those for?" Undyne questions, her fingers scratching her forehead.

"I'm guessing you can't make a key out of your magic and that Toriel don't want us knocking the door down with her magic, or with a large spear."

"That's true. I don't want to us breaking something and risk getting thrown out," Toriel agrees. "But what are you going to do with those metal clips?"

"Isn't it obvious?" you say as you bend the one metal thread straight. This is a familiar situation to you.

The clip slides in at the top of the lock.

"I'm gonna pick the lock."

"But, that's dangerous. Someone can see us! This was a bad idea, let's just go home," you said as you bounced nervously in front of your school's exit.

"Oh no, I'm not letting my sibling walk home with an F they don't deserve. We'll just add a line at the bottom and then we'll go," you brother explained calmly as he concentrated on the worn out lock.

"But what if a guard spots us? They'll call the police."

He stopped picking.

"You honestly think that this is the first time I've done this? That our school can afford to hire guards?" he asked loudly to prove his point.

"Y-you've done this before?"

"Pfft, plenty! I know this lock inside out, it's not even a challenge," he boasted. "And you know what?" he continued.

"What?" you had replied with a worried voice.

"It's better if you do it. You're gonna need this skill, trust me."

"B-b-but."

"None of that please, big brother has decided," he informed as he handed you the simple tools. "And big brother decided that you're mature enough. First."

"We apply pressure to one side using the bottom clip," you explain to your audience.

"Then you rattle the upper clip back and forth, if you're lucky, a pin might snap in place," he'd continued with a gentle hand on your shoulder.

"Unfortunately we didn't get lucky so we need to do it the hard way," you continue, feeling your friends' curious eyes in the back of your neck. A piece of Undyne's hair is resting on your shoulder. You brush it off.

"The end of that clip has a small bent in the front, use it to feel where the pin falls into place. Start from the back and work your way towards yourself. Your grip is slipping, you need to pull a bit harder so that the pins stay up," he explained as your finger slipped.

You pull harder, feeling the ring that you made around your finger dig deeper into your finger.

"Did you hear that, that's the sound of a tumbler being unlocked, normal locks have about six of them," he congratulated with a smile.

"Cool," says Undyne.

"Sure is," he replied.

The ring is digging deeper and deeper as you continue. Your finger is bright red and is starting to feel numb.

"I know that it hurts but you're very close now. I've counted five pins," he reassured you after many agonizing minutes.

The pressure disappears as the last pin snaps into position causing the bottom clip to rotate with the lock, opening the door.

"See, told you, now, how to get into the cabinet?" he wondered as you two entered the darkened hallway.

"The key is in the desk," you remind him.

"Then why did you this then?" Undyne questions.

"Because I wanted to see what's behind it," you answer.

"But you said that the key is in the desk? This was much cooler though, you have to teach me this later," Undyne smiles while bumping your shoulder.

"Did I say that out loud? Never mind, let's see what's inside," you reply as you rub away the hit.

The room inside is dark, and you fumble the wall for a light switch. The sight of felted chairs and bean bags greets you, and you smile back.

"Perfect," you exclaim. You take a bean bag for yourself and invite the others to help themselves with whatever they want.

Toriel picks a felted chair while Undyne decides to share the biggest bean bag she can find with Alphys. You make a triangle in front of the desk.

"Now I want you to close your eyes and lean back into your chair. Shake your arms, get some of that excess energy off of you. Close your eyes and take a deep breath," you start after your class settles in their newfound seats. The sound of different shaped mouths breathing creates a sort of orchestra. Kinda. "Now, relax. Feel your heart pumping your blood. Feel it as it travels inside you. Just, be one with yourself."

You take your own advice and judging by the silence the others follow as well. You feel your heart in your fingers, you feel your rib cage expanding and you feel your tongue resting inside your mouth. You feel something else too, something, weird, sorta like, an aura or something.

It surrounds you, confining you in an energy you've never felt before. Is this, magic? You try to command it but you're not sure how. It doesn't respond. It just, exists there, with you. Your feel your curiosity grow with each passing second and after a couple you can't take it anymore. You open one eye slightly. A stunning picture hits your retina.

Toriel has a white heart hovering outside her chest, but it's not made of flesh, it's made of energy. The same energy that's around you? The heart is pulsing. It expands and contracts in a rhythm you can't put your finger on. It's not like a beating heart. She seems untouched by the phenomena.

You turn your head towards Undyne and Alphys. They're cuddled up against each other, one arm behind the other one's back and the other hand locked together. They're missing the floating heart but they have the same glow. It starts off in one color and mixes in the middle creating a beautiful display. Are they, together, in soul? Should you be watching?

You also notice that their glow is leaking, onto you. Toriel's is doing the same. What does that mean? Are you all linked? Can they feel you? You feel honored by their action, if it was conscious. You also feel ashamed, you're just receiving it, but you can't feel yourself giving something back. You decide to ride the high and focus on what it feels like. It feels, nice, you think, yes, definitely nice.

A loud bell snaps you awake and you see the glow disappear as you lunge your eyes open. Like a flash the glow leaves the room dark for a moment before your eyes readjust themselves. The bell continues.

"Sorry, it's mine," Toriel says while blushing as she answers her phone.

"HELLO, TORIEL! THE KIDS ARE NOW SAFE BACK HOME WITH THEIR PARENTS! I'LL BE BACK TOMORROW TO PICK THEM UP AGAIN!" Papyrus informs. His voice is leaking from the phone.

"Thank you again Papyrus, I'll see you later."

"IF UNDYNE IS THERE PLEASE THANK HER FOR THE TRAINING SHE GAVE ME EARLIER!"

Toriel looks at Undyne for an explanation, but she is met by a rolling eyeball.

"If I meet her I promise I'll do that," she reassures.

The phone closes.

"So human, while we were meditating, did you feel something, weird?"

"You're talking about the glowing?"

"I think so."

"You've never felt something like that before?"

Her head lowers.

"Not something I want to talk about."

"Was it embarrassing for you? Did I do something wrong?" you worryingly ask. Did you infringe on them somehow?

"Don't make me repeat myself, please," she pleads.

"I just want to know whether or not to use it in my teaching, that's all," you try to explain again but her head stays lowered in thought.

"No, it was not embarrassing. It was comfortable."

"For us too," Undyne adds.

"It's just that, it reminds me of something that I'd rather not go back too," she says quietly while rubbing her arm with the other.

"Was it because of the fact that I'm human? Did I, interrupt some flow of magic or something?"

"No, on the contrary," she lifts up her head, two dark lines are going down her cheeks. "You added something."

"So does this mean that I can include it in my lessons?"

She stands up with her head still lowered, "No."

"Why not?" you ask with a raised voice as you shoot up from your chair.

"I'm sorry human, it's my fault, I shouldn't have been so quick. You can't teach the kids magic."

"W-what?"

"Alphys will teach them, I'm sorry human," she states without looking at you.

"That's not fair! You said that I added to the experience and now you're just going to steal my idea?"

"I can't risk jeopardizing the kids."

"What do you mean jeopardizing? I would never harm them! I let you sleep in my house. I trust you," you confront with your hand towards her.

"I'm sorry, I just can't risk," she tries to explain while shifting around uncomfortably, still avoiding your eyes.

"You're hiding something! The thing I added, what was it?" you demand.

"Human, don't," Undyne starts.

"Don't step in my way Undyne, stay out of this," you threaten. She's taken back by what you said, good. "Is it because I'm human, Toriel?"

"Yes."

You stumble backwards. "Yes?" You feel your face return to a normal expression. Your flexed cheeks relaxes, letting blood back into circulation.

"I thought that human influence on monsters was rare. That only a handful could do it, but, it seems like all humans have this ability."

"But, what if I learn to control it?" you try to save.

"With the kids? No, out of the question. I have to stay firm on that," she explains firmly.

"Can't I teach something else, Alphys was supposed to teach science right? Maybe we can swap?"

"Seeing as science is based on magic, no," Undyne scoffs out.

"No, it's not," you scoff back.

"Yes, it is," Undyne counters, seemingly unaware of your previous threat.

"OK, then what is electricity?" you ask with a smug grin.

"M-magic," Alphys answers.

"Why does some things float and other things sink?" you ask with a less smug grin.

"Magic floats, if you have magic, you can float," Undyne explains.

"Why do you need to breathe and eat?" you ask with a furrowed brow.

"To refresh our magic, it's not s-something we can naturally produce," Alphys says.

"But what if you don't use magic? Like say, a human?" you ask with an eyebrow raised.

"Then y-you eat because, hm," Alphys tries to explain before placing her hand on her chin.

"So this means that everything you know about science is based on magic?" you ask the group.

"Yes, Alphys is the smartest monster and she only uses magic in her science experiments. It's what we've always done," Undyne gleefully explains.

Interesting.


	11. If only they had a cafeteria

"And that is why it hurts when you punch a wall, the wall punches back with equal force," you end, and turn around to see three jaws in various amount of open. Toriel's is somewhat open, eyebrows lowered in thought. Alphys' is closed, also in deep thought. Undyne's is wide open in a yawn, can't win them all.

You let the information sink in for a while while you clean your hands. You leave another light gray sink after you, this time it's ink, and return behind the desk.

"Any questions?" you wonder.

No answer.

"Alright then, class dismissed. Was that good Toriel?"

Still no answer.

"Toriel?"

A shaky hand is raised.

"Yes, Alphys?"

"S-so, the world is made of, small pebbles?"

"In a sense yes, small pebbles filled with mostly nothing."

"M-mostly?" she stutters out with fear in her voice.

"The pebbles are actually made of smaller pebbles and depending on how those smaller pebbles spin we get the bigger pebbles."

A pained sound can be heard from the white coated lizard.

"But that is more advanced physics, I will stick to the more normal. If I get to teach that is," you reassure to Toriel. Her fist is covering her mouth and her eyes are narrow.

"I-i never knew, our system worked, it explained everything," Alphys tries to explain.

"You used magic, these theories are made without magic just, naked observations."

"But you said you used microscopes and computers!" Undyne says, interrupting her own snore.

"Well yeah, but they were built as an extension, to help us, they were not the main explanation," you defend while twirling the marker between your fingers.

"Heavy stuff, human!"

"And why is it heavy, Undyne?" you smirk with your marker pointed at her.

"Because we are, you know, heavy, because we have matter and that matter is drawn to bigger, and... Eh, you nerds with your nerd speak," Undyne tries to explain making a number of different gestures with her hands.

"You know the spirit of it, doesn't that make you a nerd?"

"A nerd doesn't have time to grow these!" she smiles, flexing her arms.

You laugh with her before turning to Toriel again. "What about you Toriel, what do you think about this? Exciting, huh?"

She answers after a couple of seconds. "You can fly?"

"We have machines that can make us fly, no magic, just plenty of speed."

"Above the clouds?"

"Higher, we have people in space right now."

"That is, really amazing human. You have to tell me more," she smiles out.

"I've told you pretty much everything I know from the top of my head but I'm sure that there's more to learn on the internet. But I need an answer, Toriel, can I teach science or not?"

"If you can make our kids as wide eyed as we are right now."

"With a bit of practice yes, I think so, but I'm afraid we have to rewrite the curriculum," you say while waving her book in the air.

"It appears so."

"I think it's an amazing idea," Undyne exclaims.

"You were asleep," you retort.

"But I could still explain something."

"Fair enough."

"Y-yes, Toriel, didn't you say that y-you wanted the kids to be taught above ground?"

"Alphee, good job, you stood up again," Undyne exclaims.

"I know, s-sorry," Alphys apologizes while tapping her claws.

Undyne lets out an annoyed grunt.

"I did didn't I? Well then, child, can you come in tomorrow with the new curriculum or do you need some more time?" Toriel asks you.

"I have it on my desk at home," you answer.

"Wonderful," she comments as she stands up from her desk. Another creak can be heard. Undyne cheers and hugs Alphys.

"Which means Alphys is teaching magic," Toriel continues.

"Yes she is! My cuddlesaur is going to be a magic teacher!" Undyne cheers as her hugs become harder.

"At what time tomorrow?" you ask.

"I'll have Papyrus pick you up around eight or so," Toriel promises.

"Oh, thank you."

You erase the whiteboard and help the others move the bean bags back into the room, it locks by itself. You massage your finger. It still hurts so you're happy you don't need to lock it. You rearrange the desks and head outside to the lobby.

Deep, rumbling snores can be heard as you enter the lobby. At first you thought that they were lightning strikes from the storm.

"Asgore!" Undyne exclaims to Toriel's dismay.

The snores stop and an equally deep yawn starts, "Howdy friends," he says after rubbing his eyes. "I saw your note Undyne, and I've managed to get you and Alphys another house. Unfortunately there's going to be a clause in the contract."

Undyne stares at him dumbfounded. She looks down at Alphys and raises Alphys' hand in the air. She points at a claw with a quizzical look towards Asgore.

"No, clause," he articulates harder and slower, each letter sweeping the room like a wave of thick syrup.

She waves the claw.

"A catch, something you have to keep in mind," Toriel explains.

"Yes, thank you, dear. Toriel," he corrects. "You see, the fire you started caused a bit of a stir in the human community. First there was a fire and now there is a storm, word spreads."

"That's stupid," you comment.

"Maybe, but it's drawing attention. Unwanted attention. Undyne, I'm afraid I have to hire someone to teach you how to cook."

"And who would dare teach me to cook differently?" Undyne boasts. Her face loosens in realization and her eyes darts back and forth on Asgore, searching for a clue that it could be someone else. She doesn't seem to find anything as a blue spear forms in anxiety. Its energy is unstable, flickering. "Tell me it isn't him!" she commands.

"I'm sorry Undyne, I can't have you burning houses down anymore, not up here."

"I can change," she yells out in fear.

"I know you can, Undyne, but you'll need to change somewhere safe."

"Alone! Not with him! He'll try and kill me." Her voice is starting to shake, it's scaring Alphys. "I won't let him though!"

"No, he won't, and you know that," Asgore retorts in an attempt to calm Undyne. It doesn't work and sweat starts to form on Undyne's forehead. Her head is checking every corner looking for, him, you presume.

"B-but-"

"No, Undyne. New chapter," Asgore reminds Undyne.

"YES, UNDYNE, NEW CHAPTER!" enters Papyrus.

"No!" Undyne yells as she throws her spear towards the sound.

With a speed you couldn't imagine Asgore flings himself across the room. He catches the spear and his mantle, beard and ears flows like water as he suddenly stops. It disperses in his hand and a shockwave of air hits you shortly after.

"THANK YOU, ASGORE, I BROUGHT HIM WITH ME AS YOU ASKED!"

"Brought who?" Undyne asks, sweat now pouring from every pore.

"Oh, darling. You couldn't guess?" a robotic voice asks. A metal hand opens the other side of the double door. The body hidden under a large and glittery umbrella. What it fails to hide is a single wheel holding them up.

"Not you!" Undyne curses.

"Aw, Undy, we can't be having that kind of attitude if we're to work together," the voice speaks as it shakes off the rain from its umbrella. You still can't quite see the face of it.

"Please Asgore, I'll do anything," Undyne pleads.

"This is anything, Undy. Now are you going to make me flip my button, or are you going to listen to me like a good employee?" The voice lowers its umbrella revealing, a box, a metal box, a metal box with a face of various colored rectangles.

"You deranged pile of junk!" Undyne screams as another spear colors the lobby cyan as it travels. With just a subtle movement of his hand Asgore interrupts it, again.

"Undyne," he starts with a sigh, spear sizzling away in his grasp. "I know that this is hard for you and I'm afraid that I have to insist."

"I will never work for him," Undyne interrupts.

"You won't, you'll work for me, because I'm ordering you to go with him."

Silence. Asgore's gaze is hard locked on Undyne. She lowers her head, but keeps her fists balled in fury.

"Yes, my king. I'll go with Mettaton," she sighs in defeat.

"Touching! Now let's go," Mettaton hurries, gripping an extended arm around Undyne's legs. She falls down and is dragged across the floor. Her expression quickly transforms to annoyance and she crosses her arms to reinforce her mood. With his other hand Mettaton flips open the umbrella.

"Don't let that face stick Undy darling, the show starts in half an hour. Papyrus, could you be a sweetie and drive us to MTT Resort?"

"ONLY IF THE KING-"

"Please drive them to the resort, Papyrus," Asgore interrupts.

"THEN OFF WE GO!"

The three of them disappear into the rain and Asgore closes the doors with a sigh of relief.

"Is she going to be alright?" you ask worryingly.

"Undyne? Don't worry, she's just making a scene. I would never put her in harms way," Asgore answers warmly.

"You would never put the leader of the royal guard in harms way?" Toriel retorts coldly.

"Never without a good reason, if that's what you mean. Anyway, how did the schooling go?"

"If you must know, good. The kids are happy to be taught and tomorrow I will have help," Toriel says, sweeping her hand towards you and Alphys.

Asgore's eyes narrows. "Can I speak privately with you Toriel?"

"I don't see a reason why we can't speak here."

Asgore mimics a word, you can't tell which. Toriel puts a hand on her mouth.

"Alphys, human, please excuse us."

The two goats make their way into the classroom, closing the door behind them. You fight your urge to eavesdrop.

"Any idea what they could be talking about?" you ask Alphys.

"N-nope."

You can't tell if she is stammering because she is lying or if she is just stammering like normal. You feel that you're too hungry to try to wring it out of her and make your way towards the snack machine.

"Want anything?" you ask as you dig for some spare change.

"N-no thanks," she lies very poorly. You can easily tell that she said that to be nice.

"I heard your stomach rumble before, and don't worry about money. You left far too much, it's only fair if I pay back. Come now," you try to convince. She thinks for a bit before she shambles over to you.

"W-what can I pick?"

"Anything," you offer as you sweep your hand in front of the machine.

"There's so much."

"I know, I'm thinking as well."

You hand Alphys some spare change. The humming dispenser stands tall and robust, waiting for a chance to spring into life and deliver delicious, unhealthy nutrients. To be fair it also houses an apple. A wide range of assorted drinks is arranged before you ranging from water to risky flavors of soda. The solid selection is equally as diverse, row upon row of plastic packages containing everything from chocolate bars to carrot chips flavored with vanilla.

You jingle the change in your pocket in an attempt to speed up the choice making process, it has no effect. You feel your voice box vibrating as you think, it produces a sound similar to the compact store.

The sound of coins being dispensed forces your hand, this thinking have gone for far too long. The machine clanks and whirs in excitement. A pack of potato chips falls down the chute too fast for you to catch the flavor. Alphys bends down for her prize and makes her way to the seats. You do a last glance at the selection. You pick a chocolate bar with caramel filling. Another thud fills the room and you seat yourself next to Alphys.

"You don't have vending machines down under?" you ask as you unwrap the chocolate.

"One, b-but," she starts. She crumbles the package and shifts in her chair.

"Don't sweat it," you try to save. She seems relieved and you give her a smile. She returns it and continue with her eating, despite having claws she picks up every piece with pinpoint precision and care. It contrasts your primitive bites.

"So are you and Undyne dating?" you ask as you shift the piece in your mouth to your cheek.

"Yes," she blushes out.

"You are a cute couple."

"T-thank you," she thanks with even redder cheeks.

"How long have you been dating?" you continue.

"A couple of days."

"Days? You two are acting like you've been dating for months. Monster love?"

She snorts as she laughs.

"Monster love it is," you inform the empty lobby.

"Y-yeah, she's really cool."

"If you don't mind me saying, you two are the perfect opposite."

"They say so, yeah," she nods.

"Do you think so?"

"I, uh, um, I guess," she shrugs.

"Good enough for me."

Some time passes before you notice the clock.

"They've been in there for a while now," you comment with your lips pouted in annoyance. The chocolate didn't really do much for your hunger.

"M-must be important."

"You're not angry with me by the way?"

"Why would I be that?" she asks with a confused look.

"Because I took your job."

"N-no, it's fine, really. I kinda want to get away from science. Magic is better," she explains.

"You promise?"

"Y-yes."

"Pinky promise?"

You're surprised that she knows the ritual, but now you're convinced that things are calm between you. The sound of the rain and distant thunder almost lulls you to sleep but you're woken up by an elbow in your side. Asgore and Toriel have returned.

"Human, Toriel told me that your human science differs from our science. Could you please explain?" Asgore asks of you with his hands clamped together.

You look at the clock again, it's an hour past dinner and you can feel it though the chocolate dampens it, but only a little bit. "How much do you want explained?"

"As much as you can," Asgore pleads.

Your stomach rumbles as you ask him to be more specific. You calm it with your hand.

"Asgore, can't you do this tomorrow, they need to eat. They've done enough for today," Toriel says.

"We can probably get this done quickly if Asgore could specify what he wants to know," you explain, shooting a pair of eyes at Asgore.

"I can't really be that specific unfortunately, but it is important."

Your stomach rumbles again.

"Right, Alphys?" he says while looking at her.

"Y-yes."

So she did know.

"How important?" you pry.

"Important enough that I'm willing to bring an outsider in. Half an hour, please."

You massage your forehead and sigh. You motion for the classroom. "Half an hour tops, but I could explain it better tomorrow."

"I need the information now, I'm afraid."

You pass a trash can and throw your wrapper. Two gasps echo through the lobby as you drop it and you turn around to see Asgore and Toriel frozen. You look down and see that you missed and you pick it up and force it down the can. Why the gasps? It's not like you missed on purpose. You place yourself back behind the desk. Two chairs creak as Toriel and Asgore sit down.

"So, what do you want to know?"

"Electricity," Asgore says.

"What about it?"

"How does it work?"

"Well, basically it's tiny tiny particles pushing each other. We use it to transfer energy from one place to another. One of our greatest discoveries," you start. The wrinkles on Asgore's forehead becomes deeper and deeper as you continue explaining.

"So, no magic?"

"No magic," you remind him. You feel that you've now exhausted the energy from the chocolate.

"What about your phones?"

"Powered by electricity," you remind him, again.

"Yes, and how do they work?"

"That's gonna take way more than half an hour to explain," you inform him.

"How do you send your information?" he pries.

"The theory behind it is sorta the same but instead of electricity we send beams of signals."

"And the signals are made of?"

"Light," you quip out.

"Light?"

"Yup."

"How?"

"I think that I might've overestimated how long I can actually do this."

"No magic, whatsoever?"

"No! No magic! No soul. Why do you ask?" you say with a raised voice. Your hunger is catching up on you.

"But how do you?"

"Science!" you interrupt. Yup, it has caught up alright.

"Understand, human, science for the monsters means magic. For us science is interwoven with magic," Asgore replies, his voice is still were it started, calm and concerning.

"Yes, I know. Sorry, for us it means the opposite of magic." You feel bad for raising your voice. You've gone over this once already and this time you're hungry. What does he want? Why can't he just tell you? You let out a sigh. "Asgore, I feel that we're not going to come to any form of sense. Just tell me what you want. If it is so important I swear on my death that I won't tell anyone."

He shifts his eyes from Alphys to Toriel and lastly to you.

"It's classified."

"Of course it is," you sigh, again.

"I wish I could say more."

"When you said you wanted to bring an outsider in," you remind him.

"Later."

"Great," you lie.

"Asgore, please, I told you this wouldn't work," Toriel enters.

"You told me the human knew their science, that they could explain it well."

"They can, but you're not giving them the chance," Toriel defends.

"You know why I'm cautious, Toriel."

"Damn well I do!"

"Please!" you interrupt. "Asgore, can't you just look this up on the internet?"

"We don't have that in our houses yet," he explains.

"You don't have a human phone or something?"

"No."

Screw it! You're too hungry to care. You fish out your phone and throw it to Asgore. He's startled by the action, but he manages to catch it.

"Use mine tonight. Just bring it back here tomorrow. I've got internet on it, just search away. I'm going home," you hastily explain as you exit the classroom.

"But-"

You yell back your password to unlock your phone.

"No, what about?"

But you're already halfway down the lobby. You throw on your outer layer and march out into the pouring downfall and slam the door behind you.

You can feel every raindrop that lands on your aching head. Thousand of little needles each one weathering away at your patience. He can't just ask you to explain and then not say what needs explaining, stupid. You lift an arm in front of you in an attempt to see the street sign as the rain is just allowing you around a meter of vision. It ricochets off your arm and onto your eyes worsening what you tried to improve.

A pothole surprises you while you wipe your eyes causing you to flinch with your knee. Not good. Your hands catch your fall but you prepared for the ground to be farther away, and now your elbows are hurting as well. You regain your footing and wipe off your dirty hands, the soars stay unfortunately. Why you? A scream is forming, and you allow it to. You curse, and it is loud, and it feels good, and it hurts, but it was necessary.

"you seem to be feeling a little under the weather." A pleased laughter follows. You turn to see an umbrella flicker as the street light above it wakes up. A white smile is barely visible under it.

"Oh, hello, Sans. You heard that?" you sigh out.

"yes."

The sound of the silence between you drowns out the sound of the rain.

"heading home?"

"Trying to," you say while inspecting your hands.

"i'll keep you company," he offers with his hand.

"Back? Aren't you also on your way home?" you ask as you take it.

"i'll call papyrus and ask him to pick me up."

"You sure?"

"he'll come. he's cool like that. here, it's better if you hold it," he assures and hands you his umbrella. You grab it and try to position it so it covers the both of you. Sans hands disappear into his pockets, they seem to have a home there. You can still feel every raindrop but at least now they're confined to your hand.

"so, heard you got a new job," Sans starts after a couple of minutes.

"Yes, but how did you? Wait, let me guess, monster secret?"

"you learn fast, let's just hope you can translate that into teaching," Sans nods.

"Seeing how Alphys and the rest reacted, might be difficult," you explain with a shrug.

"the kids are smart, try at least."

"Yeah sure, it will be interesting," you assure.

"oh it will. speaking of interesting, the first lesson."

"Now you're creeping me out, Sans."

A distant thunder lights up the street.

"and you're too hungry to guess how."

You stop dead in your tracks.

"OK, Sans, enough! This is too much. I'm starting to get scared. Seriously, how do you know this?"

"i'm gonna throw you a bone. heh. papyrus told me about your lesson and asgore told him before that. the hunger part i could guess myself," he confesses.

"So, no monster secret?"

"not this time."

The rain weakens.

"as i was saying, the first lesson, you used magic?" he pries.

"I don't think so. I felt something from Toriel, Undyne, and Alphys, but it was just around me not, in me."

He nods, "and how did it feel?"

"It felt, good. I've never felt something like it before. It was warm, comforting, pleasant. Like sitting around a warm fire with your best friends," you remember.

"nice to hear."

"Try to remember that you are a skeleton Sans. I can see right through you," you confront him.

"classic. now, why wouldn't i be thrilled over humans discovering magic again? worked so well for us last time," he sarcastically explains.

"Fair point."

"but i'm not above having a magic human as a friend. who knows, they could maybe teach me something."

"Just give me a call and I'll gladly teach you everything I know," you propose.

"so asgore told you about that."

"His plans you mean? Nope. You know anything about that?"

"not my place to tell," he shrugs out.

"A hint at least, give me one and I'll call it even on you drinking all of my ketchup."

"you drive a hard bargain, ok. asgore knows more."

"Yes, I know, but the hint?"

"it was the hint. asgore knows more."

"You're a mean pile of bone, my friend."

"you might not appreciate it now, but i'm trying to be better at one of those things."

"Another hint?" you beg.

"i only drank one bottle. the other one was payed for by toriel, remember?"

"You are leaning towards mean pile right now."

"like i said, in the future you will appreciate it. see it as a long term investment," he tries to convince.

"I want to believe you but right now, I'm too hungry to think."

"good thing you're almost home. see, just a block to go."

"Oh, I hadn't noticed."

How did you get there so fast? Usually it takes way longer to walk.

"good thing i came with you, otherwise you would've walked down to the underground."

"Maybe. Thank you Sans for distracting my brain from my stomach."

"just say the word."

"Ketchup?" you ask with a raised eyebrow.

"pretty sure that would work, yes."

You share a laugh and give back his umbrella. You wave goodbye and unlock your door. Home, finally. Now, let's get to eating.


	12. Hot air

"Again, I must thank you for these sunglasses."

"Don't worry about it, Toriel. I had no use for them anyway. They fit you, brings out the monster so to speak."

You join her in a shared laugh and take another sip of your drink. Despite having lived all your life above ground you think that if the weather holds you might get a pair of your own. The sun is really strong today, or is it her white fur? You put a up a hand over your eyes so you can see better.

Lots of couples enjoying the weather today, humans and monsters drinking soda. If someone would have told you a couple of weeks ago. A red monster with four arms excuses himself and you slide your chair closer to the table so that he can pass. He serves his friends, two muscular guys and a blue monster, two arms on that one. You take another sip.

"What was it you wanted to tell me, Toriel?" you ask as you take another sip.

"Oh, I almost forgot," she says, leaning closer to you under the parasol. She places her hand over yours. "I heard what happened to your family. The...accident."

"How did you find out?"

She places a finger on your lips. She lowers it slowly and her claw flicks your lower lip. "That's not important. What's important is that you're here, alive. I trust you, human, never forget it."

"O-of course, Toriel, I trust you too."

"Good," she winks at you. You feel like you're missing some context. "As you may have noticed, Asgore and I are in a bit of a, disagreement about our involvement with you humans."

"Like the thing he refused to discuss," you guess.

"Among other things."

"Example?"

She moves in closer, her other hand caresses your cheek with her thumb massaging your lobe. "Our feelings against the humans," she starts, her voice soft as velvet and warm like the blazing sun above you. "The thing is, you might have guessed that me and Asgore have been married before, and that because of certain circumstances-"

"You are no longer together," you finish for her. You feel your face getting warmer. Her eyes are locked with your, a beautiful pair of darkly colored sapphires stares deep into you filling you with comfort. "W-why?" you ask, mesmerized by her gaze, yet you're making no attempt to fight it.

"He was lacking one thing." She leans in closer, you feel her fur on her head brush you by. "Humanity," she whispers.

"I s-see," you stutter out with bright red cheeks.

"And I think I've met just the person that could satisfy this, need."

Before you can answer you feel a familiar hand on your shoulder, a big hand.

"What are you doing with my woman?" a burly voice asks.

"Hello, love, I'm so happy you could come," Toriel smiles.

"And what is this? Why are you with this human?" the burly voice confronts.

"Stop it you, you don't need to scare them."

"I'm just kidding, they know I am," the burly voice laughs.

"Still, no need."

"And what's with you? You look like you've just seen a ghost," he says, finger pointed at you.

"D-dad?" you yell out.

"Why else would I call you child, child?" Toriel asks.

"I d-don't know, I though you were just being- No! Dad! You are dead! I saw you! I buried you. How?" you ask in confusion.

"Human!" Toriel shouts.

"W-what?"

"Human!" Dad shouts.

"Why are you screa-"

"HUMAN!"

You toss yourself away from the screams and your cover bundles you up causing you to fall down off your bed in a flail of limbs and cloth.

"GOOD MORNING, HUMAN! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL HELP YOU TRAVEL TO YOUR NEW JOB! NOW PLEASE, FOLLOW ME!" Papyrus happily exclaims.

"Papyrus, how, how did you get in?" you ask, feeling that some panic is attached to the words. You unravel yourself from your sheet and peek your head above the bed frame. "Could you please wait outside?"

"MY HELP ALWAYS COMES WITH PROTECTION! I'LL STAND GUARD FOR ANY UNRULY INTRUDER!"

He leaves the room and closes the door. You can hear him walking back and forth and the occasional quip. You sink back on the cold wooden floor and run your hand through your hair. A deep sigh slips out of you. You didn't need that dream, not a bit. You feel that it's gonna haunt you. Fantastic, just what you need right now. You sit for a while before you can muster the strength to stand up. Clothes, gonna get some clothes.

"NOTHING TO REPORT, HUMAN!" Papyrus reports, mitten in a perfect salute.

"Thank you, Papyrus," you smile while buttoning the top button on your shirt.

"TORIEL TOLD ME YOU LEFT HUNGRY YESTERDAY, AND AS THE GOOD FRIEND THAT I AM!"

Please don't. No spaghetti.

"I WILL MAKE SURE THAT YOU GET A HEARTY BREAKFAST! NOW WALK DOWNSTAIRS, YOU GOT SOME EATING TO DO!"

"If I must," you nod.

"YES, YOU DO, IT IS AN ORDER FROM THE QUEEN!"

"Monster queen, she has no authority over me," you correct.

The realization hits Papyrus square on the jaw, and his chin disappears in his mitten. He bends over, putting the weight of his skull in his hand. He starts massaging it while thinking hard. "YOU ARE CORRECT, HUMAN! HOW WILL I NOW GET YOU TO EAT BREAKFAST?"

"She is my boss now," you remind him.

"YES! SHE IS, HUMAN! YOUR BOSS ORDERS YOU TO ENJOY BREAKFAST, AND YOU MUST OBEY HER!"

"Yes, I must," you agree. "Shall we?"

You motion towards the stairs. Papyrus nods and rushes down them and you follow him, still fiddling with that damn button. You manage to button it as you reach the lower floor. You're blinded by four beams of light from the top of the door. Damn, you forgot about them. Papyrus is already in the kitchen, head lodged deeply in your cupboards. His distressed voice calls out to you.

"HUMAN, PLEASE REMAIN CALM! YOU'RE OUT OF SPAGHETTI!"

Guess you forgot about that as well when you shopped yesterday.

"I'll survive."

"YOU SURE? WOW, YOU HUMANS ARE RESILIENT!"

You move him aside and ask him to arrange the table outside. He gleefully accepts. With him out of the way you start thinking about what you want. Nothing really, the amount of food you ate yesterday could maybe carry you to lunch. Better not risk it, you've already burned enough bridges.

You arrange a simple breakfast and carry it outside. Papyrus has the table set and ready. You place the food down and excuse yourself for a second and make your way to check on your planks. A makeshift tent is covering the planks. It's your new cover. You disassemble it to find your wall redder than ever. You laugh through your nose, that short skeleton sure is something else. You hang up the cover to dry on the patio rail and seat yourself next to Papyrus.

"WHAT DO YOU CALL THIS?" Papyrus asks while shoving his bowl in your face.

"Porridge with milk," you answer with a wrinkled nose, not because of the smell, it is just that your nose is less than a centimeter from said porridge.

"IT LOOKS NOTHING LIKE SPAGHETTI!" He takes a bite. "BUT IT TASTES LIKE IT!"

"I guess that's why you have sauce on."

"THE PORRIDGE?"

"No, never, please."

You eat for some time before you remember.

"Um, Papyrus, how did you get in?"

"SANS SAID THAT THE PATIO DOOR WAS OPEN!"

"It was?" you ask with a wrinkled forehead.

"YES!"

"I could have sworn I locked it yesterday," you try to remember. Evidently you didn't. You make a mental note to lock it this time and finish eating. You put the dishes in water and tell Papyrus to wait in the car while you get your stuff. You are in the process of stuffing everything down your backpack as you see it.

"What. Is. That?"

"MY CAR! DO YOU LIKE IT?"

"You drove the kids home, in that?"

"NOT A PROBLEM, I LOWERED THE ROOF!" he explains.

"In the rain?"

"THE KIDS MADE AN EXCELLENT UMBRELLA!" he explains again.

"How fast does it go?"

"VERY!"

You run your fingers against the red, metallic hull and see your reflection smiling back at you. Beautifully restored, leather seats, folding roof. You feel goosebumps on your arms. The door welcomes you with a silent creak and the seat molds itself around your body as it embraces you.

The sound of the key being inserted fills you with anticipation. He turns it. An orchestra of eight deep, pounding cylinders shakes the car and your bones conducts the sound. You enjoy every vibration.

He taps the gas and the engine roars in delight. He taps it again, producing another equally pleased roar. The sound of the first gear clanking into place almost causes your anticipation to overflow. He releases the clutch, and you fly away. Well, not technically but with the wind in your hair and face you don't feel the difference. The suspension helps too in the suspension, of disbelief. You don't feel a single bump, you're just gliding through the streets, like a low flying plane.

Every turn means another g force and Papyrus counters it like a pro, the car is an extension of him rather than merely a tool. As you come up to the Town Hall's parking lot he smoothly and gracefully stops and the engine becomes restless, screaming for more action, but he silences it, and a whimper echoes out as the engine stops.

"HERE WE ARE, HUMAN! TORIEL SHOULD BE INSIDE!"

"Thank you, Papyrus. This car is, amazing!" you thank him while still riding the high from the ride.

You exit the car and the leather bounces back to its natural state causing you to feel somewhat rejected by its actions. You wave goodbye and stand outside for a while to let yourself calm down a bit. Your heart is still racing.

A wave of regret hits you as you enter the lobby and memories from yesterday fills your head. You are at the mercy of Toriel and Asgore now. A bell rings and shortly after the lobby filled with monster kids with a single human sticking out like a, human among monster. You wave to Frisk, and they wave back.The kids around them start whispering and a quiet yo emerges. Like a poorly placed pillar the kids split around you as they head outside. You hear them laugh and scream through a nearby window and you take a peek to satisfy your nostalgia.

"Perfect timing," Toriel interrupts, snapping you back to reality.

"Oh, Toriel, yes, I was just making sure that the kids behaved," you try to save.

"No need for that. Papyrus promised me he would keep the children under control," Toriel reassures.

A scream from Papyrus and the sound of creaking wood and metal follows along with several high pitched laughs.

"I can hear that," you say with a smirk.

Toriel tries to cover up a laugh.

"Shall I go through the curriculum with you before I start?" you ask and retrieve the papers from your backpack.

"Good idea," Toriel answers as she accepts them from you. She skims it through as you follow her into the makeshift classroom.

"About yesterday," you awkwardly ask.

"There's nothing to discuss. What happened was entirely disrespectful and unfortunately I must put some of the blame on you."

"Yeah, I know, I was hungry," you try to explain.

"What's done is done. Let's focus our attention forward."

You nod in agreement, and wait patiently for Toriel to go through the curriculum in her own pace. Once she seems to be done with it, she rings the bell again, and wishes you good luck.

"You can't stay here and observe?" you ask.

"I need to get hold of the next teacher, wherever she is."

"Alphys or Undyne?" you ask to her back, it doesn't answer.

You feel the floor shake, and in swoops a tidal wave of colored characters and clothes. Like clockwork they take their seats, those that can at least. The classroom goes quiet. You take a sip of water to prepare yourself. "Good morning," you say.

"Good morning teacher," they reply. A greeting filled with a wide range of voices, some high, some low.

"So, you know that I'm gonna teach you today and going forward?"

A three fingered hand is raised.

"Yes," you address the volunteer.

"No," they answer.

"Ah, she left the fun part for me. You see, we humans don't know magic, not anymore. So, we had to figure out how the world works." You pause for effect. "Without it."

Eyes pop open, jaws are left hanging and many gasps can be heard. You remind yourself to thank Toriel later.

"Like yesterday, how would you explain the rain falling down and the lightning striking down? Discuss in small groups." As the kids argue you make your way towards the cabinets at the back of the room. You saw something yesterday. Where was it? Ah, there it is. You retrieve a small cooking plate and a lidded pot and carry them back to your desk. You power on the plate, fill the pot with water, and place it on the hot plate with the lid off. You let the kids argue for another minute while the water boils up.

"Time's up! Tell me your theories. I'm eager to hear," you address the class.

No hands.

"Anyone?"

Still no hands, but you can hear some grunting.

"Teacher, over here!"

You scan the classroom and finally spot him. A lizard child, with no arms. You curse yourself silently. "Yes, you, the yellow one, you have an idea?"

"Is it because, I know that the rain in the underground comes from the cracks in the ceiling, that there are cracks up here as well?"

"In a sense, yes, good job."

"Yo, Frisk, I knew it," the monster whispers loudly to Frisk.

"But let me show you!" The water is boiling nicely now. You can start your presentation. "As water evaporates, it travels up, carrying the vapor with it." You rinse the lid in cold water and wipe it dry. "As the vapor comes in contact with something cold." You hold the lid a distance over the pot. "It condenses back into drops," you explain as you make a line in the water with your finger. "So if you have a lot of water say, like an ocean, you get a lot of vapor."

"Where does it get cold?" a child asks.

"In the sky, high up."

"But isn't the sun closer?" another child asks.

"Yes, but the atmosphere is thinner, it holds less heat. So when the vapor reaches that high, it goes back into solid water. It then clumps together with other water drops, forming huge clouds. If this continues they can't hold on anymore. They crack, and the water drops fall, becoming rain," you answer. You look upon your awed audience and take pride in your work. "If we are lucky, we might get some fog tomorrow, it's like the clouds but on the ground."

You can do this all day, you're sure that you'll never tire of their faces as you tell them this. You spend the rest of the lesson trying to gather what they know and what they think they know. Despite having another explanation for their world, they catch up on what you're saying, you even have to stand your ground on some subjects.

Sans were right, smart kids.

You thank the class for being good listeners, and they thank you for being such a good teacher. You can feel your heartstrings being played like an over caffeinated violinist, and you must fight back your tears. They start heading for the door.

"Oh yeah, before you leave. Here's how you can make clouds yourself." The class rushes back to their seats. "Close your mouth hard and blow with your lips closed, you want to build up pressure. Use an arm if you can but it's possible without. You need to blow really hard for a couple of seconds, the longer the better then release your cloud carefully."

You can't help but laugh at the image before you, monsters, tensed up with mouths closed, looking like novelty balloons. As the clouds escape their mouth they cheer, and do it again, more cheers. This continues for a while as you just spectate.

The door is kicked wide open.

"Hello, punks! My name is Undyne, and whipping you all into shape is my game. I need you all outside five minutes ago. Move it!" Undyne commands. Another awed audience but this time they are looking at Undyne. "What is the matter punks? That was an order from the leader of the Royal Guard, now obey!"

Like a sheep herder she watches over her flock, making sure that everyone follows. Then she turns her head towards the black sheep, you.

"I said everyone!"

"Still haven't heard from my doctor, sorry," you explain.

"One day, human, one day," she promises before leaving with a blue spear in her hand. Commands can be heard from outside.

As you clean up Toriel knocks and you invite her in.

"How did the lesson go?" she asks.

"Great, they are very eager to learn."

"Glad to hear that," she says with a smile.

"But since the curriculum is demanding some basic knowledge I think I will spend the week covering as large of an area as I can."

"If you think that is best for them."

"I hope so," you nod while packing up your material.

"I trust you, human, and from what I heard, my trust is not in vain."

"Thank you, headmaster."

"It's Toriel to you, child," she laughs.

You feel goosebumps on your arm. Dammit, just as you predicted. You shake it off.

"Are there more lessons for me today?" you ask as you follow her to the lobby.

"Not scheduled, no, but if you could stay until lunch I would very much enjoy your company."

More bumps, you shake your arm harder.

"Is something the matter, are you injured?" Toriel asks. You think you detect a faint green glow on her hand.

"No, arm fell asleep, didn't mean to alert you," you lie.

"Good. Now if you'll excuse me I have to prepare for the next lesson."

She enters another room and leave you standing in the lobby. What now? Maybe you'll figure something out sitting down. You take a seat and reach into your pocket for your phone. It's not there! You feel a rush of adrenaline surge through you as you pat every pocket you have. Nothing, where could it- Oh, right, Asgore has it. No panic, you can do this. You spend some time finding the most comfortable position on the chair. You notice the time from the clock on the wall. The kids are out with Undyne, maybe an hour and then they'll have another lesson with Toriel, which means another hour or so. Two and a half hour is a good estimate. How many minutes did you spend coming up with the estimate? One. So you just need to make the same calculation around, 150 times more. Another minute has now passed, nice. You celebrate by playing a drum beat on your knees. It becomes more irregular with each passing second and you eventually stop. A third minute, perfect. What else? Whistling, yeah, that will surely pass the time. It suffers the same fate as the drumbeat and rapidly devolves into short raspberries. You feel your fingers tingle in boredom and you can't seem to make them interested. They go inside your pockets. Nope. They go on your head. Nope again. They go crossed. Maybe, but that could just be the pressure. You are forced to abandon the pose as you notice how wet your armpits are. To top it all off, now your leg is bouncing. Terrific! Absolutely terrific! Gosh damn isn't this situation terrific! OK, let it out. Now breathe, relax, focus inwards, don't focus on the ticking from the clock. Dammit, you said don't focus on it. Neither on the creaking pipes behind you please if you can. Turns out you can't. It drips and ticks out of rhythm, reminding you of their existence constantly. Why bother? Why bother trying to keep yourself interested, you're just gonna die and then you're be dead for ever. The earth will continue spinning and you'll be long gone before it stops. Hey, at least you got to see some monsters, hell, you even made friends with them ain't that something? You even had a dream about them, that must mean something right, disregarding the content of course. Were those real feelings, inside the dream? No, it was a dream, just a random piece of memory being tinkered with by your subconscious. But it felt real, and it made an impact so? No, you don't have feelings for Toriel, not those kinds of feelings anyway, you think, you hope. Whatever, that's not important, you've got bigger problems. Now, how many minutes have passed? Fifteen. The sigh you exhale could knock down trees. You refill your lungs, and exhale an even deeper sigh. The lack of air in you makes you sink down in the chair and you lie down there for a while, admiring the ceiling. It's gray, and flat, and has a couple of lamps hanging from it, one lamp is crooked and another one is missing a bulb. Cool, coolio, coolish, cool with a side order of fries.

You jump back up in the chair as you hear that the front door is opening. Hooray, stuff is happening! A white muzzle peeks inside and is swiftly followed by the rest of him.

"Howdy, human, glad I caught you here. I have your phone," Asgore says.

The words are like music to your ears.

"So, here it is." He hands you it upside down, whatever, you flip it in your hand, it has a big crack in the middle of the screen. "I'll compensate you for it."

You feel a single tear going down your cheek.


	13. Snails for a plate

"You didn't tell me that it only worked with human fingers, if you would have just stayed."

"But why is there a hole in it?" you ask while removing your tear from your cheek.

"It said tap to wake up," he explains.

You run a finger over it, the glass hurts and makes a cut. You suffer with it.

"Goodnight sweet prince," you pray as you turn it off for the last time. It dies with a gasp. Gasp? Phones don't, oh, that was Asgore, and now he's standing there, looking out into empty space. You wave your hand and try to get his attention. He gives you a worried look.

"I-I, excuse me, human," he excuses himself and rushes out the door. It slams behind him. You didn't even get a chance to explain that you were joking. You probably made him feel bad. You do, if that's any comfort for him.

"Who was that, human?" Toriel says in the classroom doorway.

"Asgore. He gave back my phone," you inform her.

"Good, he was playing with it all evening yesterday, but he couldn't figure out how it worked."

"He managed to break it in the process unfortunately."

Toriel's forehead wrinkles and her brows lowers. "I see," she says with a sinister voice.

"But he promised to compensate for it," you hastily add.

"But that's expected isn't it?" she asks, one brow shooting up.

"Well yeah."

"Glad to see you agreeing with me, you can't give Asgore an inch, he will take every advantage he can get. Take yesterday for an example, if you would've said no he wouldn't have pushed you over the limit. He didn't need to make a fool out of you. You need to hold your ground, learn to say no to him," she explains as she makes her way towards you.

"That sounds rather harsh. He just wanted to know a few things," you ask her with your head bent upward.

"Even a few things are too much to give to that monster, like a sponge his ego inflates with every word given to him."

"He just left, maybe we can catch up to him."

She goes stiff for a second. "No, no need." Her face returns to normal. "How about some lunch instead?" she asks with a warm smile.

"But the next lesson?" you wonder.

"Alphys is on her way."

"Alphys? I don't mean to sound rude, I've only known them for a couple of days, but are you sure you're comfortable with them alone with the kids?"

"She know what waits her if her misbehave," she says staring out the window. Grunts and tame threats echo in from outside.

"I pray I don't need to be informed about it," you comment. "Did you have something in mind for lunch? Anything you want to try? I can get some take out for us."

"I though that maybe we could eat together, at a restaurant perhaps."

You shake your head. "Ah, you see, I don't think that would be a good idea."

"And why would that be?"

You detect a tone of sadness in her voice.

"Toriel, as much as I am fine with the whole monsters being alive and wanting to get back together with us humans I can't be seen hanging around with you, not now. I don't want the unnecessary attention and knowing you, you would talk about how glad you are that you have me as a teacher and how much the kids are learning. That will turn some heads my direction. Trust me on this, Toriel. I'll take you somewhere nice when things are normal, when people are used to you. But that might take some time. We humans are very skeptical towards strangers, and that includes me."

"But you were so open about it, letting us stay in your house," she says with a sad expression on her face.

"I woke up with a concussion and whole bunch of monsters in my house. I had to play along. I feared for my life. You would've done the same if a bunch of humans broke into your house."

"We didn't break in. Undyne told us that you left the door unlocked."

You're sensing a disturbing pattern here. Do they not have doors these monsters? Have they not heard of privacy?

"Doesn't matter, the point is that I hurt my head real bad and then I wake up to discover that literal legends are making lunch in my kitchen. Anyone reasonable would freak out, but I guess my injury turned out for the better," you end with a laugh and knock on your scar. You grunt, the pain surprised you.

"Does it still hurt?"

"No healing, thank you. I trust you, not your magic. Not in my head. Not yet."

"Oh."

That is one powerful oh. You feel it pierce your heart and it leaves you full of regret.

"Maybe you can convince me by practicing on my finger instead."

You show her the cut from the glass. She smiles and envelopes your finger with her hand. It glows green, and you feel warmth enter your finger. She gives it a reassuring rub and hand it back to you. The cut is gone and no scar is visible. She seems happier and her mood bounces to you.

"It felt nice, thank you Toriel. Still no on the head I'm afraid."

"I just want to help," she reminds you.

"I know, Toriel, and I appreciate it immensely. Really, I do, but I can't shake off my prejudice, sorry."

"Perhaps later then."

"I promise I will do my best, Toriel."

An uneasy silence hangs above you. You let it hang for a bit before braking it. "With that out of the way, what are you in the mood for?" you say as happily as you can. You fear that you went too far, she won't answer you. Stupid, so stupid. Couldn't you just say, no I'm not really hungry? Instead you confessed that you didn't really care for them when they arrived. Why don't you tell them that the barrier was a good idea? Or that they should stay underground.

Idiot!

"I don't know, can't you surprise me?"

Oh, never mind then.

"I think I can. Do you want a snail in pie level of surprise?"

"If you can that would be wonderful human. See you in a bit," she says and leave for the bathrooms.

You stand alone in the empty lobby as the realization falls over you like rain. "Ah, yes. Be right back!" Snails for lunch, wonderful.

The door makes a laughing sound as you exit the building. You try to pay it no mind and head towards the downtown area. Snails for lunch, takeaway snails. Who in their right mind would sell that? You reach for your phone before remembering the state it was in. Perfect, you're also shopping blind. Did you at least bring with you your wallet? No. You feel adrenaline rush through you as you pat yourself down. Ah, it was in the other pocket. You breathe a sigh of relief.

Now where should you start? With a hot dog, so you have enough energy to eat later. You order one and feel a sudden breeze. You order another one. Your suspicion is confirmed as you round the corner.

"that obvious?" Sans asks you as he sees you rounding his corner.

"It was either you or a huge truck that made that gust and I went with my ears."

"so what is that you're holding?" he says with a finger towards you.

"It's called a hot dog. Here, bought one for you."

"no ketchup?"

You roll your eyes and return to the stand. You add some ketchup.

"more," you hear Sans say. He's ducked down beside the hot dog stand. You add some more. "more." You add some more. The ketchup starts to drip. "keep it up." The hot dog is now swimming in the ketchup and the seller is giving you a raised eyebrow.

"It's for a friend," you reassure with a smile. You get a sarcastic nod in return.

"did i say stop?"

You ask for a container and fill it to the brim with ketchup and thank the seller who just laughs you off.

"I got your ketchup with a side order of hot dog," you announce as you get back around the corner.

"you call it a side order yet the hot dog is in the middle."

"Classic. You seem a bit quizzical about it, is it under cooked?"

"it has meat?" he says after a bite.

"Of course it has meat. Wait, let me make a wild guess, you have something similar yet completely different down in the underground?"

"you know all these things about our home yet you know nothing about magic."

You take a bite of your own. "Heh, despite having no eyes, my friend, you are all seeing. How's the food?"

"good, more solid than the hot cats and dogs i used to sell."

"Glad you enjoyed it," you say with a full mouth. You swallow. "Listen, Sans, we are nearing the downtown area and if you would be so kind, please, pull up your hood over your head."

"why? afraid of people looking at this handsome mug rather than yours?" he says, gesturing to his face.

"Don't want people screaming and running away when I want to buy stuff, no offense."

"none taken, i'll active my human camouflage, just for you."

"Magic?" you ask as you clean your mouth.

He pulls his hood over most of his face. "magic," he says with wonder in his voice while wiggling his fingers.

"Hands in pockets as well if you don't mind," you add.

"an actual reason for having my hands in my pockets, say no more," he cheers as he shoves his hands deep inside his jacket. "human, wouldn't it be weird that i'm using a jacket in this weather?"

"I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. Now help me scout for some snails."

"there's one," he points out from underneath his jacket.

"Snails that you can eat."

"looks fresh enough."

"Preferably bought from a restaurant."

His jacket recedes. "ah, then i have nothing."

"Well, keep your eye sockets open for something."

The downtown is crowded with people doing their daily routine, not paying a single second out of their strict time budget to notice you or Sans.

"if you're looking for knees or legs i see plenty, but not much else. maybe a briefcase or two," Sans informs.

"Gotta admit, not seeing much either. Could have sworn that the food court was here somewhere."

"maybe you should jump up to get a better view?" he proposes.

"Sounds like a plan. I guess?" You bend your knees and take a leap. You survey the area at the peak of your jump. You think you see something familiar. You reach down for another jump, but you can't touch the ground. You're hovering! You feel some vertigo creeping up on you, and it makes you flail with your legs to regain control. You're stuck though, something is holding you in the air, or someone. "Sans, if this is you please stop."

You feel gravity again and land clumsily.

"thought you needed a boost," he defends.

"If you could give me a warning next time I would be grateful. I think I know where we are headed though. Follow me."

You struggle to move against the flow of people heading back from lunch. Every step you take is met with four others moving in the other direction. Shoulders are hooking into yours and pushing you backwards. With every step you need to excuse yourself, wasting oxygen needed for moving. Are you even moving in the right direction? You jump again to get your bearings but the wave of people pushes you back and you lose your footing as you land. You fall and shield your head from the entourage of feet closing in on you.

"what is a cola? is it good?"

You remove your arms from your face to find yourself standing before a vending machine. Sans is browsing the drinks. "Uh, yeah, did I black out?"

"shortcut, saw that you had some trouble."

"And you couldn't take us through it earlier."

He cocks his head towards you. "you didn't say where we were heading."

"You didn't ask."

"i thought you had it under control. forget about it, you'll live longer. trust me, i'm a skeleton." His head returns to the machine. "i'll buy you a drink if it helps. pay you back for the hot dog. or do you take tabs?"

"Water, please."

"i think i'll give this cola a chance. it looks tasty," he explains and makes the purchase, he hands you the water and you thank him. It's cold and refreshing, just what you needed.

"Seems like your shortcut got us where we wanted. I can see the food court at the end of the alley."

"you sure we'll find the snails there?" he says while opening the can.

You take a sip and refasten the cap. "Not a clue."

The court is filled with a myriad of aromas and restaurants but none is screaming snails unfortunately. Looks like you need to search around.

"should we split up?"

"Nah, I enjoy your company," you say and rub his back.

"is that so?"

"Yes, and because of that I don't want you causing a scene. Besides, I might need your help," you admit as you pour some water on your hand to wash away the condiments from Sans' back.

"how so?"

"Don't know if I will be able to afford the snails, something tells me that they're very expensive. If that's the case I figure we can split the embarrassment," you offer while shaking your hand dry.

"gut feeling?"

You dry off the last of the water on your pants. "You can say that."

"then i'll stay with you."

"I appreciate it."

You wander around for some time, taking in the atmosphere through your nose. Meat, cheese, sausages. Still no snails though. How do they smell anyway? You try to remember how they tasted but you can only summon a gag reflex, doubt that will help.

"there's one," Sans informs again.

"Didn't I say that I wanted store bought?" you remind him.

"you did. that's why i'm pointing towards this restaurant."

You size up the store. "Steamed snails. Sold by weight. Perfect. Good eyes, Sans. Eye holes, apologies."

"accepted, but only because of that hot dog."

"Noted."

As you enter a wave of cheese and steam hit your nose. You can feel tears pooling in your eyes and you wipe them off quickly as you approach the cashier. "You sell snails, cooked snails?" you ask while making an effort to just breathe with your mouth.

"Yes we do, in many varieties. I would suggest the blue cheese flavor," the cashier answer worryingly unfazed by the atmosphere in their shop. Their nose must be as barren as the shop itself.

"Sounds wonderful!" you lie. "You sell them by weight right?" you ask to make sure as you try to find a breathing rhythm that doesn't involve your nose.

"Everything in here is sell by weight, just grab a container," the cashier finishes and moves behind the counter to tend to some unknown business.

"Thank you."

You make your way towards the corner where the snails are. The air is thick with steam and you're pretty sure it will stick to your clothes. A barrier of bitter is raised before you, shimmering with vapor and inviting you with its hypnotizing waves. You brace yourself and step through.

You didn't brace enough and your eyes sting as they fill with water. Your nose tries desperately to retract into your skull and you're tempted to let it. Your mouth snap close as to not let anything but the absolute necessary of oxygen in. You almost drop the container as the shock reaches your hands but you somehow manage to hold on to it. You're left paralyzed, not knowing if you can continue.

"this is a very slimy place," Sans comments.

You don't dare open your mouth to answer, but you make a sound through your closed mouth.

"that bad? you know," he starts as he wrestles the container from your locked hand. "i have been a little bit jealous of everyone else. their need to breathe, i find it fascinating, but being a skeleton i can't nor do i need to inhale. luckily i can still smell, magic and all that." He fills the container with snails, you can't catch which flavor. "but seeing you standing there, forced to breathe in this, it makes me not jealous anymore." He hands you the lidded container and pushes you back a couple of steps. The heat from it wakes you up.

"You enjoy the sight of humans in agony?" you ask as you shift the snails to your other hand while blowing on the hot hand.

"really hit your head on the snail there."

You scream inwards but at least the pun takes your focus away from the odor. You take the opportunity and command your unwilling body to move to the cash register. You ring the bell as you weigh the container. The price makes you gasp, forcing the foul smelling air down your lungs. You reflexively cough to try to force it back out.

"Something the matter?" the clerk asks.

"No, nothing," you lie.

"I was the same for some time before I became accustomed to it, no need to lie. I've seen plenty of people react worse than you. You're not as pale as your friend and if I may, it really brings out your rosy cheeks."

"you don't say," Sans comments again.

"I would take some fresh air if I were you buddy, don't want you fainting," the clerks suggests to Sans.

"He'll be fine, he has dry skin and have spent most of his days underground. The white color is normal for him," you assure the clerk. You take a bit of pride in Sans' laughing.

"If you say so. You wanted to pay?" the clerk asks.

"Not yet. Just wanted to check the weight. I'll ring again if I need you." You step away from the counter and motion for Sans to come closer. "I don't think I could carry enough cash to pay for this. I can't empty it out either."

"why not?"

"It is for Toriel. Despite her manners she needs a healthy serving."

He shrugs. "so what can you do?"

"You can do, Sans."

"what?"

"You lifted me up before, I just need you to lift the container a bit so it shows a lower price."

"wouldn't that be stealing?" he asks with a tilted head.

"We are paying for the weight and if we lessen the weight," you explain with some sympathetic hand gestures.

He nods sarcastically. "you don't want to draw attention, but you want me to use my magic. you're sending mixed signals here."

"I didn't hear screams when I was hovering. I'm not asking you to make it hover, just relieve it of some weight, that is all. The clerk won't mind, he gets paid by the hour."

"you're still asking me to steal," he reminds you.

"Don't get all high and righteous on me, or I'll tell on you to Papyrus. Unlocking my door without permission. I'd love to see you explain your way out of that one," you counter.

"and i would love to hear you explain to the clerk that there's a monster inside his store," Sans threatens. The air between is just a spark away from catching fire and if you add the rest of the chemicals floating around you'll be looking at a size able explosion. Sans finally shakes his head. "fine, but i'm not doing this for you."

"Neither am I." The air cools down a couple of degrees but it's still unstable. "Toriel won't be hearing anything about this, correct?" you ask after a short uncomfortable pause.

"i've seen her angry, she won't be hearing anything."

You extend a hand and he grabs it after some thinking.

The total came out okay, you had to ask Sans to lift it more a couple of times before you were comfortable paying. You then remembered that you needed to buy something for yourself and with a sigh he made it even lighter. The clerk raised an eyebrow to you canceling the purchase over and over again, but you managed to distract him by pretending that their card machine was acting up.

You hold the bag as far as you manage from you as you leave the store. Luckily the wind blows the smell away from you, but in return you get some looks as you pass people.

"By the way, Sans, what flavor did you pick?"

"you don't want to taste it yourself to find out?" he teases.

"I'd rather not lose my appetite before lunch. Oh, speaking of that, you want to join us?"

"after that whole ordeal about stealing?"

"I had good reasons and I was dizzy from the fumes as well, just wanted to get out of there. Take the invitation as my way of saying sorry," you explain.

"got things to do i'm afraid."

"Like what, sleep?" you scoff.

"good idea, i think i will do that too," he retorts.

"You know what I mean. Isn't lunch important to you?"

"very important."

"And?"

"i guess i have more important things to do then."

You shake your head. "Am I ever going to get a straight answer from you guys anytime soon?"

"nah, that would ruin the fun wouldn't it?"

"So all this talk about no secrets?"

He shrugs. "i didn't say it."

"But do you believe in it?"

"your bag is leaking."

You instinctively move it away from you and inspect it. It is dry.

"Sans, why did you? Sans?" you ask the empty space beside you. A soft wind brushes your legs and you sigh in irritation, this guy is more slippery than the snails. You find a nearby restaurant and buy something for yourself and with the wind in your back you walk home, the smell of the snail making a nice path in front you.


	14. Garden of Asgore

You wonder if it really is wise to bring the snails inside, the smell might stick around and you shudder at the thought. You see Undyne following the kids inside and ask her to hold the door.

She motions for you to run. "Five seconds, whelp."

"Then you can close it, not gonna risk dropping my lunch."

"Lunch? You didn't invite me?"

"You were working."

"And I still am," she says before releasing the door. "Kids! Twenty push ups before the magic lesson."

A symphony of moans and groans escape the building.

"So what about the lunch?" you yell through a window.

"Relax, whelp! I'll eat with Alphys," she shouts out through another.

"Oh, good."

As you enter the door the complaining has been muffled and moved inside the classroom. You can hear Alphys awkwardly ask Undyne to stop so they can start the lesson. She gets a sarcastic laugh in return. You shake your head and set course for the lunch room a couple of doors down the lobby.

You knock on the door frame.

"Toriel, you here?" you ask the empty room. The silence answers in her place. No biggie, you prepare the table while you wait. She enters after a couple of minutes.

"There you are, human," she welcomes with a big smile.

"Was about to say the same," you reply as you hold out a chair for her.

"I'm a monster though." She suppresses a giggle and walks towards you. "What did you bring to the table?"

You both smirk.

"We'll I brought what was ordered, snails, steamed to perfection, I hope," you answer.

She stops and lights up as the midday sun. She puts both of her hands on her mouth, but they can't hide her smile. "You bought me human made snails?"

"Sure, did but why are you still standing? Get over here!" you order her.

She moves hastily, but still manages to keep her composure. Like a jet powered butler she makes her way over the kitchen floor, eyes fastened, hands rubbing and drool forming. She apologizes for the last one. You feel the table shake a bit as she sits down. No creak from the chair though, good quality.

A greedy but well mannered hand lifts the fork and with the precision and grace of a seasoned seamstress she sticks it in her meal. A face of pure bliss awaits the incoming food and just as one would tuck in a baby she respectfully puts the snail on her tongue and closes her mouth. You damn your luck for having a broken phone. You've just witnessed something more pure than pure bliss.

She savors the taste for what feels like minutes before finally sighing in complete satisfaction. You feel pride swell up inside you but you can tell that you're light years away from her happiness. You still do a victory dance in your head though.

"Taste good?" you ask her.

She can hardly contain her excitement! "Human, this, this is, I never thought you could eat snail with this flavor."

"What flavor is it?" you pry.

She puts another snail in her mouth. "You don't know?"

"Yes, I do, just thought it would taste different for monsters," you try to save.

"Haven't we gone over this before? We've lived together more than we've been separated," she reminds you.

"Oh, yes we have, I just remembered, but if you could just indulge me."

"Well, I would guess a mix between...I don't know, please, human, just tell me."

You feel a corner behind you, but you can't seem to stop backing into it.

"The no secrets part was for you, not for me. You know what, I think I just stumbled upon something useful."

You're brushing up against the corner now.

"Human, I'm serious," Toriel says with a firm voice.

"You make a good point, but still no."

And there we have it, a nice corner for you to think about what you've done. Was it really that big of a deal to say that you didn't know the flavor? You don't know, maybe she would pry for more information and you don't trust your tongue to not slip about Sans' magic, no, this is the less worse option.

She shakes her head. "Surely, you can't be."

You answer with a single eyebrow and start with your own food. She puffs with a strong tone of annoyance and continues with her eating, you've probably soured the taste a bit but you can see that she is till enjoying it. Now, about this corner you've backed yourself into. You need to get hold of Sans somehow. Where can he be? Literally anywhere is an educated guess. Maybe he has a phone. No, wouldn't work with yours even if it was in pristine condition. Toriel's you can forget about. Asgore's maybe? Or Papyrus?

"Toriel?"

"Yes, human?"

Her voice chills you to the bone.

"I...I was just wondering if you knew where Papyrus or Asgore could be?"

You feel her gaze go right through you, she is looking at you but you can feel that she'd rather not.

"I don't know."

"Ah, I see."

Did you really expect her to answer you? Naive. That leaves Alphys and Undyne. You finish your food and leave as quickly as you can. You feel something tingling on your back, she is staring at you as you leave.

You knock on the silent classroom door. They are probably meditating, but this is important. You knock again. Still silent. You put some weight on the handle. It moves, and you open the door. Empty. Not a monster in sight. You feel your heart race in quiet panic. Where are they? You were just gone for like ten minutes or so.

"They are hosting their class in the Underground," Toriel tells you from across the lobby before entering her office. You don't have time to answer her. So, no to Undyne and Alphys as well. Who else? Frisk? Nah, too young to own one. The next best thing would be to wait at Sans' house, assuming it's still standing. You hear some angry huffing as you pass Toriel's door, you decide it would be a good idea to hurry it up.

You arrive out of breath at their neighborhood and take a few seconds to calm yourself down. You survey the modern, fresh area. Rows of identical houses with a generous amount of both front and backyard stand before you.

One house sticks out though. It stands in a blackened lawn. Stands might be a slightly generous term, the only thing that is standing is the chimney. The rest of the house lays in a broken but orderly pile, like a dark sunspot in an otherwise pristine star. It must be Undyne's house. Her previous house to be exact. No nameplates on the other houses, figures.

You knock on the house to the right. No answer. You move to the next. Nothing. As you move to the third one you hear faint singing coming from the backyard. You don't recognize the song but you're familiar with the voice. Asgore. At least you have someone to fall back to if no one else is home, next house. Empty as well. Asgore raises his voice for a couple of seconds.

"With your soul I will take back control," he sings.

You try not to make any judgment of the lyrics. Instead you make yourself over to last house. Also empty. Two houses left on the other side of Undyne's. Asgore's voice grows stronger the closer you get to him.

"How many times do I have to say, I will not be the one who falls today. Only one of us will leave this room, only one of us will keep our soul," he continues

He is not making it easy for you to keep an open mind but you're trying. You quickly pass his house and his voice becomes weaker. With a pleading please you try the second to last door. No answer. You knock harder, some desperation is settling in.

"Everything I've done, I did it as a king. My subjects wanted hope, I needed to kill, to break free."

You knock harder and faster on the last door. Despite your effort, nothing. You sigh and weigh your options. Risking talking to Asgore again or never talking to Toriel again. Pain first, enjoyment later. Asgore it is then.

"So please human take my soul, in this world it's kill or be killed," he stops.

Your hand stops just before it hits the door. You let it hang for a bit before knocking.

"Howdy! You can come around. I'm in the garden," he informs you.

You take his advice and make your way around.

"Oh, human, a pleasure seeing you here. Why don't you have a seat while I make us some tea?"

"Sure, I can go for some tea," you manage to answer as you pick up your jaw from the ground.

Around you is the most beautiful garden you've ever seen. Trees stand like green statues with cuts and curves you only thought could be made on stone. Heads of different monsters, symbols that you don't recognize and hedges in perfect shape. A patch of flowers lays like a rainbow carpet, their pollen spreading in the wind. It looks like it's sparkling in the sun. You're shocked and stunned by the beauty of it all.

Did Asgore make this? Asgore? The monster that poked a hole in your phone have enough dexterity in his hands to make this museum of leaves. The sound of a kettle whistling interrupts your thoughts.

"Tea is done!" Asgore comes back with the tea and some biscuits on a tray and motions for the groove. Grove? He made a grove? How? A table surrounded by a bench is located inside it and shadows from the leaves around it dance on it as the wind picks up. You seat yourself on the white bench and help Asgore ease the tray onto the table. He pours you a cup and then one for himself. You drink some and feel the dance of the taste buds envelop your mouth yet again. It feels good to taste it again. You reach for a biscuit, but stop halfway.

"Are these snail free?"

You're met with a hearty and contagious laugh. "No snails. I promise."

Trust, but verify, you take a small nibble but you can't detect anything that seems off. You should still proceed with caution.

"Better weather today," Asgore says after helping himself to some quiet time.

"Much better, yes. It really brings your garden to life."

"This? It's just a hobby I've recently taken up again. It feels good to clear your head with some landscaping. I also enjoy wearing more relaxed clothing from time to time."

You didn't really notice before. How could you not notice? A brightly colored Hawaiian shirt with purple pants. Not really subtle. The crown is still on his head though, guess you can't relax completely if you're the king.

"I can see that, but this is more than a hobby Asgore, this is art. I mean look at that, those symbols, what do they mean?"

"It is the Dreemurr crest, a family tradition. It also goes by the name 'The Delta Rune'," he explains with pride.

"How did you manage to shape the branches into a pair of wings? Magic, I assume."

"Not really. You see, human, you bend the branch when it is very young and as it grows you mold it until you get the desired shape."

You're blown away by what he said. "It grew that big in a week?"

"That was magic I'm afraid," he admits with a tone of embarrassment.

"Old habits die hard I guess."

He looks at the insignia. "Yeah, they do."

"Did you use a spell or something else? I might need to revive my apple tree."

He shakes his head. "Spell, unfortunately."

"Is it a one time cast spell, use it once and you're done?"

"Only works on trees that feed on magic."

"That explains why I don't recognize the leafs. They don't replicate do they?"

"What do you mean?"

You remove the cup from your mouth. "It can't reproduce?"

"No, not this one. I'm careful, you have my word."

The wind picks up and you let it wash your face. Asgore does to, his beard waves around like the trees in the breeze. You both enjoy the sun for some time.

"Human, about yesterday and your phone. I'm deeply sorry for both."

You sigh through your lips at the memory. "We were both at fault."

"I shouldn't had, I let my emotions get the better of me. This is all so exciting to me. We've been missing the sun and the stars. I never thought I could bring my people this happy ending!" He takes a deep breath. "And now I'm enjoying tea outside, the sun is in my face and at night I sit outside and count the stars. I found a book about constellations too. Can't wait to show Asr-" He stops as he goes for another sip, hot tea lands on his lap but he doesn't react. He scans the horizon with vacant eyes, and his body freezes. He is still like his leafy statues.

"Asgore?"

Your snapping manages to wake him up.

"Golly, sorry, human."

You set down your biscuit. "You've done this twice today, it's scaring me. Who was it?"

"Who was it who?"

"That you almost mentioned, but stopped. A, s, r, and then something else I guess."

"No one, leave it."

You can taste his words, they are sour, and sad.

"You sure?"

He lifts his head and you cower under his commanding gaze.

"Leave it."

"Yes, Asgore, sorry."

"Now, why did you come here?" he says as his voice gradually returns to normal.

You pause to remember. "I want to borrow your monster phone. I need to call Sans."

"I don't have his number unfortunately," he sadly informs you. "I do, however, have Papyrus'. Let me get it."

The bench sinks a bit into the ground as he stands up and he leaves you under the leaves as he walks inside. You can hear him muttering through the window as he searches. You turn your head back towards the sun and bask in it. A warm wind passes you. "Oh, Sans, you can't believe how happy I am to see you!" you say towards the wind. "What flavor did you pick? Toriel will have my skin if I don't tell her. Not that looking like a skeleton is wrong or anything. I just enjoy having it that's all."

"Is Sans here, human?"

You open your eyes, and look around.

"He should be. I felt him brush by."

Asgore looks around as well. "I can't see him."

You can't either.

"I thought, the wind," you say, confused.

Asgore takes a knee. "Are you feeling well human? Drink some more tea."

You nod your head. "No, I'm fine. I mean, yes, I will have some more tea, and yes, I am fine."

"Good. My phone, here." He hands you his purple phone, it has his crest on its cover. You open it up.

"Magic identification required," it says.

"Um, Asgore, can you unlock it?" you ask, interrupting his sip.

"Oh golly, sorry."

You hand it back and he envelops it, his hand glows and the cell phone beeps. "Here you go, human, Papyrus' number should be in the contacts."

You thank him and navigate to the contact section. You scroll the long list before finding Papyrus. You dial him up. "Does it have coverage here?" you ask as the phone does its thing.

"I'm sorry?"

A tone passes.

"The signal, it still works above ground?"

"We use magic remember? The phones connect directly to our souls."

Another tone passes.

"How?"

"Magic."

A third tone passes.

"Oh, right."

Your eardrum almost explodes as Papyrus answers.

"HELLO, ASGORE, PERFECT TIMING! I'M OUT OF FUEL, AND THE CAR IS STUCK! CAN YOU PLEASE CALL UNDYNE AND ASK HER TO COME LIFT IT AND ME OUT OF HOTLAND?"

You move the phone a bit from your ear. "You can't call her yourself?"

"I WOULD IF I COULD, ASGORE, BUT RIGHT NOW I'M HANGING BY MY SEAT BELT AND I CAN'T REACH MY PHONE!"

You move it a bit further away.

"I'll make sure to inform her. You don't happen to have Sans number in your head?"

"YOUR VOICE SOUNDS STRANGE, ASGORE! HAVE YOU SLAMMED YOUR BEARD IN THE CUPBOARD AGAIN?"

You look over to see Asgore's head in his hands, he is failing to hide his blushing face.

"Sans number, Papyrus, please, it is important."

"YES, MY KING! IT IS NYEEEH!"

His voice disappears and is replaced by the sound of harsh winds. The speaker sparks after a while and then disconnects. "Maybe you should call Undyne, Asgore. It sounds like Papyrus is in trouble."

He nods and takes back the phone. He pushes some buttons and puts it under his ear, like a baby kangaroo fitting into its mother's pouch. "Hello, Undyne, it is, oh, howdy Mettaton. No, I'm fine, thanks for asking. Listen, I need to talk to Undyne. I know that she is working, but it is important. Yes, I know that I ordered you to keep her there at all cost, but Papyrus is in trouble. No, real trouble."

He puts a hand over the phone and removes it from his ear, it flops back down on his cheek. "How much trouble was he in?"

"You heard, he was hanging by his seat belt at a place called Hotland," you answer.

He nestles the phone back under his ear. "A lot of trouble. More than normally, yes. Who to cover for her? Isn't Burgerpants? I see. Um..." Asgore looks over to you. You make it very clear that you don't want not part in whatever they're scheming. "Yes? Yes, that was the human. No, the other one, not Frisk. Yes, they are of age. No, they don't want to. Yes, I am sure. No, I don't see how that would be relevant. Yes, they are wearing pants. No, pants. Yes, I would object to that. No, your view count is not that important. Mettaton, send Undyne to rescue Papyrus. Yes, I will appear. Not today, I have to plan it in. Is she on her way? Why is she swearing? Yes, OK, thank you."

He hangs up and lets out a deep sigh, it competes with the wind.

"More tea?" you suggest.

"Please, and thank you," he answers while rubbing his forehead.

You fill his cup and then move on to yours. "Undyne on her way?"

"Yes."

You offer him a biscuit. "You don't sound happy about it."

"Mettaton said that she could leave her work if I came on to his show," Asgore explains before taking a bite.

"Is that bad?"

"Mettaton is very obsessed with his show, and I can't imagine what he has in store for me."

"But Papyrus will be saved right?"

"Yes, I trust Undyne." He picks up his cup and leans back, staring out at the plains behind his backyard. You follow his example.

"Who else could have Sans' number?" you think out loud.

"Frisk and Toriel."

"Mind if I call them?"

He unlocks his phone again, and hands it over to you again. "You can try, but I don't think they will answer."

You dial, Toriel. It goes to voice mail. "My child, you've reached Toriel, please leave a message after the tone. If this is you, Asgore, don't," you hear Toriel inform the caller.

You end the call. "Does she always say that?"

"Say what?"

"My child."

You navigate the contacts to Frisk's number.

"Toriel does that, true. Not my place to explain why though."

"Then I won't pry."

"I appreciate it."

You dial Frisk, old enough it seems.

The call goes directly to a robotic voice. "The number you have dialed is busy at the moment, would you like to put your soul on hold?"

You end it quickly. Better not risk it.

"No luck?" Asgore asks as you hand the phone back to him.

"No luck," you answer while massaging your forehead.

He swings his enormous arm in front of him. You're slightly startled.

"My clock says that they should be home in an hour or so. You can stay out here and wait if you want."

"I thought maybe I should take another round with the doors," you explain while gesturing with your hand towards the other houses.

"Toriel lives with Frisk on the house to the right. Papyrus and Sans on the house to the left," Asgore helps you.

You nod and stand up. "Thank you for the tea, and for borrowing your phone."

Asgore nods back and smiles. "Anytime human, thank you for the company. I got the dishes, don't worry."

You hear footsteps as you knock on Sans' door a second time. Finally! It opens and Sans rubs his eyes as the sun hits him in the face.

"Sans, please, what flavor did you pick?"

"for the snails?" he yawns.

"Yes."

"garlic, it said so on the container, so that is what i picked."

You blink in realization. "The flavor was on the container?"

"yes, why do you ask?"

"I didn't know," you say into the empty air.

Sans narrows his eye that's not covered by his hand. "you don't know why you asked?"

"No, I told Toriel I didn't know. I said that I planned to use the information against her."

He wrinkles his skull. "why did you do that?"

"I couldn't say that I didn't know, that would've been worse. Now she is angry with me."

"sounds like she has a bone to pick with you, or a shell in this case."

"Sans," you plead.

"anything else you wanted?"

"Um, I called Papyrus and he said that he was stuck in Hotland. Don't worry though, Undyne is on her way."

"good," he nods. An awkward silence hangs over you two for a couple of seconds. "i'm heading back to my nap. good talk."

"Yeah, good talk."

He closes the door and you can hear his footsteps getting fainter and fainter. You rush to Toriel's house and knock in excitement. Nothing. Ah, Asgore said in an hour or so, that's right. But if that's so then why are the windows lit? As you move for a closer look Toriel slams the door in your face. She drops the trash that she was holding. "Oh, human!"

"Toriel, I'm so sorry I," you stop as you find something wonderful on the ground. "I just wanted to show you something," you continue as you reach down and pick up the container. You laugh as you see the garlic symbol and text. You turn it towards Toriel. Her face goes red as Asgore's roses. "Thought you would've seen it. I didn't mean to make you upset."

She covers her face with her hands. "Human, I, I'm so sorry."

"Don't sweat it, really, it was stupid of me to tease you."

"Can I make it up to you? Tea perhaps?"

"Really, Toriel, it is water under the bridge."

"But you were probably devastated that I was mad at you. Please human, for me, and you."

She waves you in and like a black hole made of kindness you can't resist its pull. The door shuts behind you.


	15. House of Toriel

"Shoes off if you don't mind, my child."

You nod and remove your shoes and put them with the other pairs, smaller pairs, smaller pair. Only one pair of shoes, must be Frisk's. Despite that you hear two pair of footsteps running upstairs. That and something falling down, alarmingly common. "Toriel, what is that sound?"

"I'm sorry?"

You point your finger up as you hear another thud. "That sound."

"That must be Frisk and Monster Kid playing."

You nod. "What kind?"

"What kind of what?"

"Monster kid, what kind of monster kid are we talking about?" you expand.

She covers up a small laugh with her fingers. "Oh no, my child, his name is Monster Kid."

"Ah, and what do they look like?"

"No need for me to explain, you'll meet them soon enough."

You nod even though you have more questions and follow her into the living room. Even though her house is newly built the interior reminds you of your own home. A large felted chair is placed beside the fireplace facing inward. It has a dent in its pillow far too big for any human to make. It must be Toriel's chair. A book about snails is sitting on the table next to the chair. It's weathered and several bookmarks are sticking out of it.

She offers you a seat on the sofa. "Why don't you have a seat while I make us some tea?"

"Again?" you ask as you make your way to the sofa.

She halts just before the kitchen. "I'm sorry, I don't think I understand."

"Did I say that out loud? Sorry just thinking out loud," you realize.

She nods and enters the kitchen leaving you to admire the living room. You lean back against the green felted sofa and take a look around. You spot a pair of needles and a ball of purple yarn. Toriel sews? Interesting. You wonder what she sews, but you can't find anything that she could have made.

There is this huge purple banner covering the entirety of one wall embedded with the Dreemurr crest on it though, but, no, surely she couldn't have made that. It is huge, must have taken at least a year or so of constant work to make, she was a queen she couldn't find the time. Magic, it must be. Asgore said he used it in his craft. Even if it was magic it is still very pleasant to look at.

Though the fireplace isn't active the room is still filled with warm light that contrasts with the dark purple. If it is this warmly colored in the room now you can't imagine how it will look as the sun sets. You feel yourself getting excited over the idea. The sound of a kettle whistling interrupts your thoughts.

"Tea is done, my child."

She returns with a tray containing tea and some buns, they look and smell freshly baked and you can feel your mouth watering. She motions for the low table. You move it closer to the sofa and help her ease the tray on it. She pours you a cup and then one for himself.

You drink some and feel your taste buds sigh in blandness. You smack your lips and go for another sip, still bland. It just tastes of hot water honestly, with a hint of taste. You're not sure what taste though. Toriel doesn't seem to mind it. As you take another drink you involuntarily groan.

"Something the matter?" Toriel asks.

"Nothing. I mean, I guess I've been spoiled by Asgore's tea that's all," you answer while reaching for a bun.

"Yes, but that was a couple of days ago."

"Couple of minutes in fact, I was just with him. I was looking for a monster phone and you weren't home."

She lifts her cup from her lips. "You were with Asgore?"

"Yes, I was. His garden is really beautiful. I wish he was my neighbor so I could see it everyday. You're a lucky one. Oh, and speaking of tea, he makes it himself right?"

You turn to her to meet a deeply wrinkled forehead almost covering a pair of eyes that are staring into nothing. She is resting her chin on her hands. "He didn't pry you for more information about your science?"

"No, we had a talk about his garden, drank some tea, and enjoyed the weather."

"Nothing else?"

"There was some business about Papyrus being stuck in Hotland, but I think Undyne has it covered."

She nods and her face returns to its normal comforting state as she offers you another pastry. You decline since you've not had time to taste the first one. You go for a first bite, but you hesitate.

"These are snail free, right?"

"No snails, just cinnamon."

You nibble off a piece and your taste buds cheer as the strong taste shakes them awake. You make sure that she knows your satisfaction and she thanks you with a laugh.

"These are the best cinnamon buns I've eaten in ages," you compliment with your mouth full.

"I'm glad you enjoy them," she thanks you with a nod.

"Yo, cinnamon buns!" screams a light voice from the hallway.

"Hello there, children, feel free to take one if you want," Toriel offers.

Frisk and who you assume is Monster Kid run towards you and Toriel with eyes locked firmly on Toriel's buns. As they get closer you recognize who Monster Kid is, it is the one that you didn't notice. Your brain kicks the memory wide awake and you shudder because of it.

Monster Kid recognizes you as well. "Yo, Frisk, it's our science teacher. Yo, the cloud trick you taught us! I'm like the best at it now."

You manage to confine the memory back to the deepest pit of your head where it belongs as you wait patiently for Monster Kid to build up his cloud with his lips clenched close like a safe. His head is turning a bit redder and you can see that Toriel is a little worried. She is shifting uncomfortably. After an impressively long time he releases his creation and a thick light gray cloud sails out for a couple of seconds before dispersing.

"Cool, right?" he says out of breath.

"Impressive. Why do you think it works by the way?" you ask.

"Because cloud form when there's vapor. You taught us that."

You nod. "Yes, but we are not high up now are we? Didn't I also say that clouds formed high up?"

"What about the ground cloud you told us about?"

"You learn fast. Fog is what it is called and I can tell how it forms," you pause and look for an answer from Toriel.

"Tomorrow," she answers with a smile.

"I'll tell you how it forms tomorrow. I'll also tell you how your mouth cloud forms. A little extra for being so smart."

"Yo, Frisk. We're gonna learn more science. Awesome!"

Frisk nods and takes a handful of buns and shoves them in their pocket. You're confused by their action. Monster Kids helps his face to a bun as well by dipping it into the pile.

"Thank you, Toriel," he says, voice muffled by the bread in his mouth.

They run back towards the hallway and you return your attention to Toriel. It is quickly diverged again as Monster Kid trips on the hallway carpet. You hear him cough and Toriel stands up with sights on the fallen child.

"I swallowed it. Frisk can you share one? Yo, thank you, Frisk. You are the best."

He goes from sad to overjoyed in an instant causing Toriel to halt in her step. The sofa stays surprisingly quiet as she sits back down.

"Sorry about that, I don't want to see the kids hurt that's all," she explains.

"Neither do I, but sometimes you have to. You can't have them live in a bubble, they won't learn otherwise."

She halts her tea and sets it down while rubbing one eye.

"Can we change the subject? This one is bringing back some memories," Toriel says with sadness in her voice.

"Yes, sorry."

"You couldn't have known. Don't apologize," she says with a forced laughter.

You take another sip to refresh your mouth, it does the opposite. "So, Frisk then?" you still manage to ask.

"What about Frisk?"

"Why don't you start from the beginning? I'm curious how they ended up with you."

"That is also something I'd rather not discuss." Toriel looks down. "Please, forgive me."

"OK. then what about, um, this banner?"

She shines up, finally. You can't stand looking at her when she is sad, it makes you even sadder.

"Oh, that. It's just a hobby I've practiced for a long time."

You scoff a bit. "Life as a queen gets boring, never would've thought."

"Ex queen."

"Right, forgot about that. Life after being queen gets boring."

"Human, it is-"

"Not something you want to discuss," you finish for her. "Isn't it better if you choose the subject then?"

"I didn't mean to come off as rude."

"You're not, I just want to talk, but I have to admit, sometimes it gets frustrating not getting a clear answer. I know I'm not that close yet to ask these question, and I know I might never be but."

"Human, please, calm down, when the time comes," she interrupts with a soft hand on your shoulder. You turn around and look her in her deep purple eyes. She blinks slowly, and gives you a smile. You feel yourself becoming calmer. You nod in thanks and she removes her hand, "How is your family? I know that you live alone, where is the rest of them?" she asks while picking up her cup from the table.

The question hits you like a train and the calm she instilled into you disappears. Voices fill your head. Angry voices. Calling you cursed, calling your family cursed, blaming their deaths on you. Pale faces, red bodies. You carried the caskets alone, no one else wanted to touch them. Your aching body screamed as much as you did when the soil fell down on them. You clench your head. Your sister is crying, the beeps are becoming louder. Doctors are screaming, but her screams are stronger.

"Human?" comes a saving voice filled with worry but still firm enough to drag you back.

"No," you manage to force out in between sobs.

She drops the cup as she covers her mouth with her hands. "Oh no, human I, I didn't know."

"You couldn't have known. Don't apologize," you try to say with a forced laughter, but it fails as your wailing drowns it out.

"Human, no. Come here," she says with inviting arms. Warm motherly arms ready to take care of you, ready to tell you that everything is OK even though you know that they're not. You embrace them. You embrace them with a child's hurry, a child's desperation, a child's want for mother. "There there, my child, just let it all out. Don't worry, I'm here," she comforts you. Her hands runs through your hair with the utmost care. Your grip tightens on her robe. Like a silky wave she caresses you as you darken her wrinkly clothes with your tears. A warm chin leans on your head.

"I miss them," you squeeze out.

She caresses your hair again. "I understand."

"I thought I was strong. I thought that I was over them."

"No need to apologize. You are strong, my child."

"I tried to save her, I tried. I just wanted her home, she was the only one left."

"You did your best, you can't expect more from yourself."

You shake your head. "I rushed her, I was impatient, I killed her."

She removes her chin and leans your head backwards so that she can look at you. She hardens her gaze. "You did not kill her. You did everything you could, my child. You can't blame yourself for her death, it was an accident. It was..." She stops. Her hands slip off your head and fall down heavily on the sofa. "An accident," she says as she loses her focus on you, and stares at the banner instead. "It was an accident, my child."

You sit quiet for a moment to pull yourself together. "Thank you, Toriel. I needed that," you say and wipe your eyes.

She blinks a couple of times, like she is looking for a way back to reality. "Yes, anytime human. I..." She pauses for a second. "I can't imagine losing your family. Excuse me, I need to clean this up."

She picks up the shards from her destroyed cup and heads into the kitchen. You can hear her drop the shards into the garbage. You wait for her to come back but she doesn't, she stays there. Was it because-

"Yo, teacher, human," Monster Kid says as he stumbles in to the living room. "Frisk is hurt! They need human medicine," he continues after he jumps up on his knees.

No time for questions. You lunge up and pick Monster Kid as you pass him, he's not as heavy as you thought he would be and he laughs gleefully as you swing him up. You rush up the stairs and see Frisk curled up. You set down Monster Kid and reach for Frisk. They are sobbing.

"You alright? What happened?" you say as you near them. You turn them around and see that they're bleeding from their knee.

"Frisk tripped when we were playing and started to leak. My magic is not developed. I couldn't help," Monster Kid relays.

You laugh in relief. "Don't worry, it is just carpet burn. I'll get the first aid kit from the bathroom. Where is it?"

Frisk points to a door.

"Yo, I thought they were dying," Monster Kid sighs out, also in relief.

"Nah, you don't die from that," you say as you enter the bathroom. You search some cabinets before finding the kit. You return and start your surgery.

"What is in that bottle?" Monster Kid asks.

"Disinfectant, to remove dirt and bacteria. Now hold still Frisk, this might sting."

They cringe while you clean the wound but they make an effort to squirm as little as possible.

"What is bacteria? Is it dangerous?" Monster Kid asks over your shoulder.

You wipe away the alcohol. "Bacteria are small organisms that live all around us. Even inside us humans."

Both put out their tongues in disgust.

"Yo, you said that you were cleaning them off? Isn't it dangerous for them to live inside us?"

"There's good and bad bacteria. Hopefully I cleaned the bad ones off of Frisk's knee," you explain while measuring up a band aid. You cut it to the right size and apply it. "Good as new. What were you playing by the way?"

"We were playing Undyne and Human. I was Undyne and Frisk was the Human. I needed to protect the monsters from the evil Human. Undyne did that, she is so cool. She would swing her magic spear and kill all bad Humans," Monster Kid explains with glittering eyes.

You lift an eyebrow and look at Frisk. They shrug their shoulders. "But not all humans are evil, you know that," you remind Monster Kid.

"Yo! Of course I know that, but it is the only game I know," he says while looking down and kicking his foot. Frisk is also giving you a hard look, or as much as they can through their slits.

"Can I join? There must be someone else I can be," you offer.

"Yo, you want to play with us? Wow, cool."

"Sure. So, who should I be?"

Monster Kid shuts down as he processes the question. His head is hanging and a pair of teeth are visible from inside his mouth. You give a questioning glance towards Frisk, but you only get another shrug as an answer. After what seems to be a full minute Monster Kid lunges his head up in revelation.

"You can be Mettaton! No, Papyrus, no, yo!" He looks at you with pure bliss in his eyes. "Yo, you can be Asgore!"

You're worried that his smile will tear his cheeks apart.

"Asgore, eh? Sure, I can play a monster king. What should I do?"

"You can um, uh, I don't know, what do kings do?"

You scratch your head in thought. "They rule, uh, yeah, they rule over their people. Monsters, sorry."

"Yo, then you can give me the order to kill the Human."

You look at Frisk but they just wave it off.

You sit yourself in a chair and try to look as royally as possible. Elbow on the armrest and hand clenched. You sink down a bit to show that you own the place. Finally, a stern look. You're a king, act like one. You lower your voice and summon Undyne to your throne. You can only manage a single dig with a spade compared to Asgore's mine shaft of a tone, but you still go with it. "Undyne, report to your king, update me on the Human situation."

Undyne rushes in through the palace door and stumbles on the red carpet. She quickly recovers and kneels before you.

"You've arrived, excellent. Tell me, how dangerous is this Human? Do they have long teeth like you or maybe horns like me?"

Undyne raises her head and brushes her hair aside. "Yo, the Human is like very dangerous, they will stop at nothing to kill us all."

"Have you verified the information?"

She looks at you with a confused face.

"You sure about this?" you simplify.

"Yes! I am Undyne! I am the head of the Royal Guard and I'm the coolest and the strongest monster in all of the underground. I know it," Undyne reassures while flexing.

"How do you plan on dealing with this situation then?"

"I will kill them! And bring their soul to you!"

You stroke your golden, magnificent beard in thought. It flows in the wind that is passing by from an open window. "Can't you just bring them in for questioning? They might know something more about the other humans."

"But-"

"No buts, Undyne, your king has spoken. Now go, bring the human to me, alive. I command thee, my leader of the Royal Guard."

She squeals in glee and jumps around happily. "I'm a real royal guard, the king told me so."

You can hear a giggle from the corner of the room.

"Oh no, the Human has defeated all of our guards and is now here, in my throne room. Undyne, as the head of the Royal Guard it is your task to defend me. Defeat the Human."

"Yes, Asgore! Yo, Human, this is where you die," she says while taking threatening steps towards the Human. She is dragging her spear behind her.

"Alive, Undyne, I want them alive," you remind her in your royal voice.

"Right. Yo, Human, this is where you live," Undyne threatens while posing with her spear.

Another giggle.

"They're taunting you, Undyne. We can't let them confuse you. Come closer, I know their weakness."

"Yo, you do?" she asks with huge eyes.

You lean down and whisper your master plan in her ear making sure it is loud enough to scare the Human.

"From what I've gathered during my years is that humans are really weak to," you start. You cast a menacing look towards the Human. "Tickling!" The Human cowers in fear at the notion of your triumph car., "They're scared, get them Undyne!" you command.

Undyne charges forward in a glorious war cry and the Human wails in agony as she attacks, striking with pinpoint perfection at the Human's weak spots. She's trained years for this. The battles rages on for a long time, but Undyne is slowly getting the upper hand despite the Human's speed, they dodge fast as lightning. After a couple of minutes of furious battle your champion returns with the captured Human.

"Yo, here is your Human," she proclaims while trying to catch her breath.

"Wonderful, Undyne, they will be singing songs about this battle for years to come."

"Yo, do you think you can make Mettaton sing about it?" she asks while bouncing in excitement.

"Anything for you, my hero."

She jumps around for a second time.

"As for you, Human. I have ways to make you talk," you say while winking. "You see, I can't have a Human running around in my Underground. Therefore I must keep you here, in my castle. To make sure you don't flee I plan on feeding you so that you're so fat that you couldn't possibly escape. Pies, cinnamon buns, cakes, anything you can imagine. This is your punishment. What do you say?"

The Human nods in defeat.

You hear footsteps from the stairs.

"Oh, if it isn't my wonderful queen," you say with arms outstretched, welcoming Toriel to your shared throne room.

She stops at the top step and looks around. Monster Kid is frolicking about, shouting about how he is finally a royal guard and a hero. Frisk is sitting in front of you laughing, and you feel that you are showing her the goofiest smile you can muster.

"Queen?" she questions.

"Yes. I, Asgore have commanded Undyne," you say and point to the general area Monster Kid is occupying, his bounces makes it hard for you to accurately point at him. "To capture this Human," you continue and shift your finger to Frisk. "So that my queen, you, can punish their crimes by making them as fat as possible so that they can't escape. This means baking them delicious pies and being nice to them."

She laughs behind her hand. "I'm so sorry to interrupt, but Papyrus is here now."

"No, I don't want to go home now! I have to make sure the Human talk," Undyne complains. She stamps her foot down in protest.

"You've done your part, Undyne, and now you must rest. The Human is defeated and wouldn't stand a chance against me and my queen. Follow Papyrus home, that is an order."

"OK then," says Undyne with a heavy head.

"Take a cinnamon bun with you and bring one to Papyrus," Toriel suggest as Monster Kid passes her by. "Now Frisk, it is time for your sports practice."

Frisk crosses their arms and gives Toriel a cold shoulder.

"Frisk, we've discussed this and don't worry, I'll be there with you," Toriel promises.

Frisk thinks for a minute before walking to Toriel.

"Pack your bag and meet me downstairs," she says with a gentle kiss to Frisk's forehead. Frisk then enters their room. Toriel turns to you. "Thank you, for playing with the little ones."

You notice that her eyes are faintly red, like yours.

You nod. "Not a problem, Toriel, it was fun."

"Isn't it weird that you were the one playing Asgore?"

"Why would that be weird?"

"Because you're a...Never mind."

You shrug off the question and lift yourself out of the chair. "I guess that I should be going now."

"It was nice having you over."

"It was nice being here." You scratch your head and look down. "About the, um."

"You needed it, I'm glad I could help you," Toriel nods.

"Thank you, again, for being there."

She gives you her signature reassuring smile. "Anytime, human."

As you go down the stairs you hear a phone ring. You pat yourself in reflex, but stop when you hear Toriel answer. You hurry down to not eavesdrop.

You're in the middle of tying your shoes as she comes rushing down.

"Human, I must ask a huge favor of you," she says with hurry in her voice.

"Of course, Toriel, what is it?"

"Can you take Frisk to the soccer field next to the Town Hall?"

"Yes, no problem. Go."

She thanks you as she rushes out the door. Frisk comes down a second after.

"You don't mind me taking you to your soccer practice?" you ask Frisk. They shake their head. You offer your hand and they take it. "Let's go then."


	16. Football with Frisk

As you and Frisk leave Toriel's house you come upon Papyrus and Monster Kid arguing.

"No, I'm Undyne!" Monster Kid demands.

"NYEH! UNDYNE, HELP ME! I DROPPED YOU OFF AND NOW YOU WANT TO GO BACK TO THE UNDERGROUND!"

You turn your head and see Undyne, the real one, on her doorstep. It seems that she was interrupted just before opening her door. She sighs deeply and looks at Papyrus. "Papyrus, I'm very tired. I just want to get home and work out. Drive, me, home to the underground."

"IF YOU SAY SO! COME, UNDYNE!"

The sound of a perfectly tuned engine and a high pitched yo echoes trough the neighborhood before disappearing towards the mountain. They're followed by a door slamming shut.

With a slight shake to your head, you nod down to Frisk. "Nice community you got, Frisk."

You get a tug on your hand as an answer.

"Don't get me wrong, I would love to live here. Never a dull day."

You start your walk.

"What's your team called, by the way?"

Frisk shrugs.

"Just a bunch of kids having fun?"

They halt for a second before nodding.

"Having fun without you?"

They look down.

"Don't worry. You'll fit in sooner rather than later," you reassure with a smile. You don't get one in return.

You let them be for a while and instead enjoy the warm wind that is carrying you forward. The sun is starting to set, causing your shadows to grow along the pavement. You make a simple creature with your hand and attack Frisk's shadow with it. They summon a shadow creature of their own to defend themselves. A short battle enrages before your shadow is defeated. Their creature does a little victory dance. You ruffle Frisk's hair and they giggle. After a couple of minutes Frisk stops and shift themselves to your other side.

"Something the matter?" you ask with a perplexed look.

They don't answer, instead they bury their face into your side. You look around. A depressing building stands on the other side of the road. Mt. Ebott Orphanage. You look down at Frisk and nod to yourself.

"How about we take a little detour? Sounds good?" you propose.

You can feel them nodding in your side and you put an arm over them before turning the both of you onto a dirt road.

"I used to walk this road with my, um, sister. It leads through a small forest and it ends close to the Town Hall," you explain as you move some branches out of Frisk's way. It is smaller than you remembered, but then again, the last time you were here was a couple of years ago. It is still very tranquil. A corridor of small trees and bushes on each side creates a tunnel of green and you need to bend down a bit so that you fit. Frisk is walking normally.

"Cool, right? My secret passage, well, our secret passage now. Better than Sans' shortcuts?"

You get a concerned look.

"Of course I know about Sans' shortcuts. He's taken them plenty of times around, and to me. He even brought me along on one before as well. I guess it sounds strange to hear another human talking about magic?"

They nod.

"We better get used to it. Hopefully it will become as mundane as talking about one's shoe size."

You picture a monster and a human on a date.

"So, what magic do you have?" asks the human.

"Oh, nothing special. Just healing," the monster responds while twiddling their thumbs.

"Cool."

"You really think so?"

"Absolutely, I work out a lot. If I could go home and have someone heal me right up so that I don't get muscle soreness that would be awesome."

Your interracial fantasy is interrupted by a root sticking out of the ground. Luckily you manage to catch your balance before falling over. You startle Frisk though.

"Sorry, I was lost in my thoughts," you hastily explain. "Yeah, magic, you don't happen to know how to use it?"

They shake their head.

"Don't know, or can't?"

The move their hands like a balance.

"Both, interesting. You know, if we're lucky we can both learn some, wouldn't that be cool? I would love to use magic."

They nod in excitement and make magical gestures with their hands. You join them. You conjure up an energy ball which you charge up by making it dance around yourself and with appropriate sound effects you release it into the forest. The leafs tremble before your vast knowledge of the arcane. You decide to spare them a second round.

"But don't we need a, what was it, soul, to use magic?"

Frisk puts a hand on their chest.

"Do you have heart problems, something I should know? Or does it just itch?"

They remove it and shake their head.

"Good, don't want you collapsing here in the middle of the forest. We've a bit left to go."

Frisk stretches out their arms towards you in response.

"No."

They bounce with their knees.

"I said no."

They frown.

"I know that trick, Frisk. My shoulders are for my own burdens. No."

They let their arms swing heavily in defeat.

"Maybe Toriel can carry you back home. She wouldn't mind, not with those shoulders. She wouldn't even feel you."

You offer a hand as a compromise and they reluctantly grab it.

"Speaking of Toriel, how did you meet? How did you get to the underground in the first place?"

Frisk's grip hardens in response to your question.

"It's OK. If you don't want to talk about it now you don't have to, just wanted to kill some time."

They shake their head and look at you with a serious face and take a deep breath. The air disappears as quickly as it enters Frisk's when a white dog again jumps out from a nearby bush. They snatch Frisk's bag and run off along track. You help Frisk up and brush them off and weigh your options in your head. Run after the dog on this dusty road with your nice clothes on or risk getting Frisk's in trouble with Toriel.

You curse your sympathy and take off after the dog. You manage to keep pace with it as it seems to skip more than run. You whistle and try to coax it, but your attempts are fruitless. Sweat is starting to form on you and you decide to try something desperate. "Could you please drop the bag?" you yell at the dog. It stops, drops the bag like it was asked to and jumps back into the forest. You halt in confusion and walk the last part.

"Another question to the list," you say out loud as you pick up the bag. "Frisk, I got your bag," you shout back towards the trail.

A small hand grips one strap and you see Frisk standing next to you. You release it and they mount it on their back.

"How did you?" you ask. Right afterwards you feel a breeze pass by you. "I see. Did Sans appreciate you waking him while he was sleeping?"

They shrug their shoulders.

"I guess he can't stay mad at you, right? I can see the exit from here. Just a minute left of walking."

When you get back on the paved road you hear faint screams. Sport screams, you wager, and hope. You walk with Frisk towards the source, but like a pair of similar magnetic poles their walk speed decreases as you get closer to the field. It takes some time, but you eventually arrive at the soccer field.

You hold the gate open for Frisk. They hesitate to enter. You release the gate, get down on one knee and put a hand on Frisk's shoulder.

"Frisk, do it for Toriel," you try to persuade.

They nod weakly. You give them a smile and a pat on their shoulder before opening the gate again.

"Look, it's the monster kid! Run away before they take us down to the Underground," screams one kid while dramatically flailing around with their arms. They are joined in by other kids pretending to be monsters. You're impressed by their coordination.

"The monsters will take over the world and make us their slaves!", yells another one.

Frisk is now hiding behind your legs.

"Look! They are using a human shield!"

Many fingers and laughs are directed towards you and Frisk. It goes on for too long before the trainer finally stops them. "Hello, Frisk, you're late. Come here, we're waiting for you," he commands.

Frisk emerges from behind your legs but you put an arm out to stop them.

"I see now why you were hesitant. You still want to go? I can whip up a lie for Toriel," you propose.

They shake their head and lift up your arm so they can pass. You allow them but you seat yourself close so you can observe. After Frisk has changed clothes they bring their bag to you.

The training starts with five minutes of jogging, Frisk is keeping up well with the other kids but you can see that they're actively avoiding Frisk. The coach is unaware, he is too busy with setting up the first exercise.

The kids return and are told to pair up. The pairing goes smoothly until it is Frisk's turn. After much debate between a boy and the trainer Frisk gets a reluctant partner. First exercise is passing. What you can gather they're supposed to pass to their partners dominant foot. Frisk instead gets the ball in the chest as the boy kicks the ball with all his might.

You fight your urge to intervene, it would only make things worse. You curse the kid under your breath though. Frisk recovers and continues with the exercise, resilient little one. The boy behaves relatively well for the rest of the drill. Following it is group exercises.

Again the trainer needs to force the kids to accept that Frisk is playing with them, but he sounds like he is doing it because he don't want to deal with it rather than trying to get Frisk to become one with the gang. You don't like this one bit. The drill is still passes but one needs to chase the ball. If they catch it the one that passed last switch with the chaser. Frisk starts, of course. They nimbly catch the ball in a matter of seconds but are not allowed to switch with the passer. You can't hold back.

"You're supposed to switch!" you yell causing the training to stop and all to look at you.

"Can you let me do the training?" the trainer yells back.

"They didn't switch, they're not doing the exercise properly," you retort. The kids mimic you mockingly.

"Then I'll deal with it," the trainer replies before making a girl switch with Frisk.

Even though Frisk now is in the passing ring the kids don't stop with their shenanigans. Frisk gets every pass directed at them while the chaser is standing right next to them. Frisk fights for a while before finally slipping up. They switch willingly. You shake your head. That kid is too nice for their own good.

"OK, let's do some body building, everyone down on the ground. We start with twenty push ups," the trainer barks after blowing his whistle.

A lot of moaning can be heard before all the kids are down, at least Frisk gets some slack. Like a uncoordinated wave the kids do their exercise, bobbing up and down irregularly. Frisk is keeping up even with the occasional bump from the kids around them.

Sit ups follows and another wave appears as the kids rearrange themselves and start the workout. After a couple of other workouts the trainer orders the kids so set up goals so that they can play a match.

Every kid puts one of their shoes in a pile and the trainer makes up the teams by tossing the shoes to his sides. They are then put back on and the kids are then given colored jerseys and ordered to make up a formation. Frisk gets to play left defender despite being right footed. The trainer confirms the formation and says that he'll act judge.

"Clean game now, kids," he says before blowing the starting whistle.

The match starts off with an attack towards Frisk's goal. The ball is being played with on the right side of the field. Frisk takes up position so that they can defend against an incoming insertion from the side.

Their thinking was right and they quickly catch the ball and pass it to a teammate. They are encouraged by the trainer, good. The ball is played outside of Frisk's grasp for a while before returning to them. They look around and make a beautiful insertion that finds another kids head. Goal for Frisk's team. They team cheer on the goal maker. You can see Frisk's shoulder drop a bit.

They don't let it stick for long as they're up and at it quickly after, interrupting passes and clearing the ball when things get dangerous. You can see the opposing team getting more and more annoyed with each counter Frisk makes, their spacial awareness is incredible. Dodging tackles while keeping possession of the ball, good accuracy on the passes and robust stamina. The only thing missing is communication, they are very quiet out on the field, come to think of it, they're very quiet in general.

As the match progresses more people start to crowd the stand you're sitting on. Parents of the kids, you guess. You can hear gossip behind you, they're talking about the monster situation.

"Did you hear about the fire?" a mother asks another.

"I heard the monsters caused it. Something about not being pleased with the housing."

You shake your head at the thought.

"I heard that it was a faulty gas pipe. Wait, the monsters live here?" says a third.

"Didn't you know? They are living at the newly built area. Got themselves their own little community."

"Maybe we should visit? Welcome them to the surface?"

"I'd rather not get involved, not until I know what they want, exactly."

"I thought maybe we could bring them a pie or something, maybe a fruit basket. So that they know that they're welcomed here."

"Didn't you read today's paper?" a man asks.

"The free one? No."

"It said that we should be careful around the monsters, they know magic."

"They do? How?"

"I don't know, it just said so."

"That's scary."

"You."

Dammit.

"What do you think about the monster situation?"

"I, uh, I'm indifferent," you answer with your back still towards them.

"How can you be indifferent? Monsters exists! Doesn't that scare you?"

You shake your head. "No."

"Why not?"

You shrug your shoulders.

"Does it make you happy?"

"As I said, I'm indifferent," you remind them.

"Sad, excited, anything?"

"A little bit excited then," you do admit.

"Why?"

"Because they exist, that's neat," you answer.

"But we went to war with them."

"We won didn't we?" the third one adds.

"Yes, so they should be mad at us."

"They don't seem mad to me," you comment.

"You've been with them?" the man asks with a tone you're not sure you can place.

A sound emerges from Frisk's bag, their phone is ringing.

"Excuse me, I have to take this," you say and walk some distance away. The caller is Sans. Luckily Frisk's phone is missing the magic lock and you manage to answer. "Sans, you have no idea how good your timing is. You saved my skin, and my bones."

A laugh can be heard from the other end, but is is not Sans', it is Toriel's. "Oh, human, you're a funny one. I forgot my phone as I was running to the meeting so I borrowed Sans'."

"when you give it back it becomes borrowing," says Sans faintly through the phone.

"Quiet you. Now, is Frisk OK?"

You catch a glimpse of Frisk dribbling another kids' socks off. "They're fine. Is this their first practice, by the way?"

"Yes, I wanted Frisk to have some human friends as well."

The kid makes a pair of horns with their fingers and stick out their tongue at Frisk.

"I'm sure that they appreciate the thought," you say as you shake your head.

"I'm sorry, I'm not sure I follow?"

"Nothing important. Anything else you want to know?"

"Oh, right, yes. Could you please be so kind as to walk Frisk back home. I'll treat you to dinner as thanks."

"Sounds lovely. I'll get them home safe and sound."

She sighs. "You are too kind, my child."

"I try my best. See you later."

"I'll bake a pie as well."

"Now you're spoiling us, Toriel."

You share a laugh as you end the call.

"Who was that?" a woman asks as you return.

"It was, um, no one. Why do you ask?" you answer with a wrinkled forehead.

"I thought it was a monster calling."

"On our cellphones? You must be joking. Monster's don't have cellphones," you lie. "How would they build them?"

"I guess you're right about that."

You breathe out as you sit down, too close.

The match is played for another ten minutes before the trainer ends it. After a quick talk with the kids they walk to their respective parent or in Frisk's case, their teacher. They quickly change and soon you're on your way back.

"Detour?" you ask.

Frisk nods.

You keep an ear open for any rumbling in the bushes as you enter the dirt trail. You don't hear any but you decide to still be vigilant.

"You met that dog when you were down in the underground?" you ask Frisk while peering into the forest.

Another nod.

"Annoying one, isn't it?"

A third nod.

"I bumped into it when we first met, on the way down Mt Ebott. It jumped out in front of me and I tripped. Luckily it attacked Undyne as well so I managed to get home. Did Undyne tell you how the chase with me went?"

Frisk shakes their head.

"She told you I let her in willingly, right?"

Frisk avoids your eyes.

"Of course she did. Speaking of Undyne, how did you react when you first saw her?"

They shrug nonchalantly.

"Yeah right," you say as you guffaw. You ruffle their hair. "I like you kid."

They stop.

"What?"

They stretch out their arms.

"This again?"

They bounce with their knees. You get an idea in your head, however. A win-win.

"You know what, when we get out on the main road. I don't think you want to have too much salad before we eat," you offer as you touch the leafs above you.

They nod with a smile. The rest of the walk through the forest goes smoothly with no annoying dog to disturb you. When you reach the pavement you stay true to your words and bend down so that Frisk can climb up on your shoulders.

"Before you ask, I'm doing this for me."

They give a perplexed look from the top of you.

"You see, when I tell Toriel that I carried you home she will be so delighted that she'll let me have another slice of pie."

The realization dawns on Frisk and they try to climb down but you hold their legs firmly.

"Oh no, you're staying right were you are! I want my second slice."

They keep on struggling but you manage to keep Frisk on your shoulders, and eventually they give up. You walk the rest of the way with a smile on your face.

"Oh my, hello, you two. I didn't know that humans could have two heads," Toriel answers as she opens the door.

"You know what they say, two heads are better than one, so Frisk and I made a little arrangement."

"Is it reversible?" Toriel asks with theatrical drama.

"I don't know, I've never done this before. Ready, Frisk?"

They're still a bit grumpy. You lift them back down and act surprised with Toriel.

"Dinner is ready. Come, children. Frisk, you can shower afterwards if you want."

Frisk shakes their head and enter the bathroom.

"Thank you, human," Toriel wishes you.

"It was nothing, really," you remind her.

"You carried them home as well. You are so sweet, my child."

"They were tired and hungry."

She puts a hand on your shoulder. "You know what, that deserves a reward. I've made a second pie, you can take it home if you want."

"Thank you, Toriel," you say calmly, but inside you're screaming with joy.

"Cinnamon or butterscotch?" she asks.

"I'll take the one that gets left over, Frisk can choose the first."

Toriel gives you a hug. You're unprepared for it and she squeezes the air out of you.

"You're almost as kind as Frisk. I'm so happy to have the both of you in my life."

"The feeling is mutual," you manage to say with the tiny amount of air left in you. Luckily she releases you shortly after.

"Now, child, let's eat."

"Let's."


	17. Old and new doors

"See, boss. Ain't that just amazing? It would get you some points with health and safety. Just get one at least, so we can show the monsters our technology."

"We've talked about this and there's no way I can make it fit into our budget. No motorized wheelbarrows. End of discussion."

A rude gesture is thrown towards the boss before the builder turns to you. You get a friendly wave and approach the fence surrounding the closed off plot of land.

"Hello, again. Good thing one of us gets to play around with that. You off to the store again?"

"Off to work in fact," you answer.

"I see. Pray tell, what kind of work except construction could possibly warrant a motorized wheelbarrow?" the builder asks with his arms crossed.

"That's for me to know and you to guess," you tease.

The builder smirks. "Don't trust me? Once a spy, always a spy I guess."

You laugh as well. "If you don't mind, what are you building here?"

"My guess seems to be correct. This information is gonna cost you."

"You'll get twenty five percentage of whatever the monsters pay me for this sensitive information," you propose.

They shake their fist in victory. "Deal. Prepare yourself for a twist, we are actually building the monster school."

"But that means that you'll get nothing," you comment with a raised indexfinger. "They wouldn't pay for information that they already know about."

The builder smacks his leg. "Dammit, I wanted that beachfront property."

"Maybe next time. How did it get approved so fast? There's been like a week or so since the monsters surfaced."

"Word is that the monster king possesses a tongue made from the purest of silver. Ten minutes or so with the mayor and he was approved two building permits. Two of them, can you believe it? One for a school and the other one for a laboratory of some kind."

You flinch. "Laboratory?"

"That is what the blueprint was called, 'Above Laboratory'. We are also in the process of erecting 'Above School'."

You'll have to ask Asgore about these names.

You peek inside the building area. "No monsters working on the project?"

The builder turns and shake this head. "Not at the moment, maybe later, if my gut feeling is to be trusted."

"There's a chance?" you ask.

"The plans calls for some bizarre contraptions, things we can't build. Another guess, that's all."

"Why can't you build them? Our technology must be way ahead of theirs," you lie.

The builder waves his fingers. "Magic."

You laugh through your lips. "You serious?"

"I know what I saw," he states firmly, "magic is required to finish this building and the laboratory."

"Doesn't that scare you?"

"The only thing that's scaring me right now is the deadline."

You lean on your wheelbarrow. "So talking to me must be terrifying?"

The builder scoff. "Nah, this is fine. We're waiting for materials. Never thought that lorry drivers would be superstitious." A loud sigh emerges from the builder. "Just come here, drop off the stuff and drive back. No need to hang around."

"Never thought that monster existed," you retort in the driver's defense.

"Point taken. How are you holding up by the way?"

"Better than ever, if you could believe."

He nods. "Boy can I, what with you working for the monsters and all that."

You feel yourself freeze in fear.

"How many secrets are you up to now?" they jokingly confront.

You need to thaw out for a second before you can answer. "Hehe, like, I don't know, two hundred."

The builder looks impressed. "I can't fault you for slacking at it then."

You both laugh together. A second later the sound of a lorry horn comes thundering down the street.

"Well, guess I'm off for work," the builder sighs.

"Same here. By the way, forgive me for asking, but I must know."

"Shoot."

"Why are you telling me all this? This is all highly classified, it has to be. Yet here we are, talking about it like it is the weather."

The builder removes his hard hat and leans towards the fence. "I, I knew your dad. He did something for me that I can never repay him for." He pauses as he caresses his mouth. "He saved my life. The best thing I can do now is to look after his kid, right?" He nods with a stern look. "I think that with a situation as huge as this I would let him down by not telling you everything I know. I also know that I'm sticking my neck out for you, but don't feel like you owe me. This is nothing compared to what your father did."

"What did he do?"

"If he didn't tell you that then I won't either."

"You, you're joking right? This is my dad. He never mentioned anything about this."

The builder puts his hat back on. "Like I said, my mouth is close, out of respect to your father."

"But-"

Another horn drowns out your voice and an angry driver screams out of his window. You turn your head back towards the construction site only to see the builer's back enter the only door that's in place at the moment.

The sound of your wheelbarrow is not heard over the sound of the construction now underway.

"How hard is it to get a straight answer in this damn city?" you ask yourself out loud as you near the Town Hall.

You struggle to get the wheelbarrow up the stairs to the door, but after a couple of minutes of the door handle in your side you finally enter with your visual aid for today's lesson. You see Undyne sleeping on a chair with her limbs and tongue hanging like vines after a storm and sneak up on her. She flies out of her chair with a confused yell as you rev your wheelbarrow.

"Morning, Undyne!" you greet with a grin. "I was just wondering where Toriel could be," you also ask as you relax the engine.

"I'm gonna make Papyrus do so many sit ups. His car has woken me up for the last time," she promises with fists clenched in anger. A blue spear forms in one.

"He does that often?" you ask while masking your laugh.

The spear grows in size. "Every morning, and now he interrupts my nap."

"Sorry to burst your bubble Undyne, but this time it was me." You give your engine a good throttle and the sound fills the barren lobby. Her spear fizzles away and she grumbles loudly.

"What, no punishment for me?" you ask with fake shock.

She puffs from her nose. "Toriel would have my head."

"Maybe she would finally find a good use for it."

You're met with an extended tongue. You give one back and the two of you snicker.

"Speaking of Toriel, you know where she is?"'

Undyne crosses her arms and looks down. "She's teaching with Alphys." She kicks the carpet. "They wouldn't let me teach."

"What are they teaching?"

"Soul growth," she answers with her head still down.

"Isn't that just sitting still and reading? Sounds boring," you say as an effort to cheer her up.

She sighs deeply. "It is, but."

"Why don't you teach with me?" you suggest.

Her head lunges up and two huge pair of glittering eyes stare at you. A smile almost as big as her entire face emerges and you can hear a faint squeal. Monster Kid was pretty close in his portrayal.

"Yes, human and monster teaching together! We will be gods of knowledge," she cheers with fists clenched in happiness! "So, what are we teaching?"

"Science."

Her shoulders sink a bit.

"Don't give me that. I can teach it all by myself if I want."

She sighs again. "What kind of science then?"

"Physics."

An eyebrow emerges from behind her eye patch.

"Forces, how things react when you bump into them. Gravity as well," you explain.

"I remember gravity," she cheers. "It was, eh, how things fall down."

"A bit more complicated than that but in the grand scheme of things, yes."

"What do you want me to do? Can I suplex the desk, show them how much force I can push out?"

You smile at the image. "I don't know exactly, but I'm sure we can figure something out."

"Great!"

You sit down next to her and wait for the current class to end. Undyne has a very hungry look on her face. You're not sure if she should have it.

After a while Toriel exits the classroom. You greet her, and she waves back.

"Hello, my child," she spots Undyne. "Undyne, why are you still here? Are you waiting for Alphys? I told you, she has a meeting with Asgore after her class."

"I know ma'am. We're teaching together," she explains while pointing at you.

"Oh, you are?" she asks you.

You nod. "Yes, I thought that some more demonstration could make the learning easier for the kids."

Toriel shifts her eyes to Undyne, and then back to you. "I'm sure that will go...great. If anything happens, please inform me."

"Will do ma'am," Undyne reassures while saluting.

"You will, right?" she asks again with her eyes still on you.

"Yes, I will," you also reassure.

"Good. Now if you could excuse me, I have some tests that needs to be graded."

She leaves you and Undyne and enters an office.

"Can't be too long now if Toriel left. Are you excited?" Undyne asks you with a big smile.

"Very," you answer.

This might backfire.

Undyne kicks in the door, as is tradition, and positions herself behind the desk. Two heavy hand palms come crashing down on it and the desk moans in pain. The classroom goes silent. You decide to wait outside, at a safe distance, to see what she has planned.

She pushes off the desk and straightens her back. "OK, wimps, books and heads open. We got some serious science to get through, and I don't want any interruptions. We're the gods of knowledge, and when we're done with you." She rubs her hands together with a steadfast grin. "You're gonna be stuffed with so much information that you'll explode from the sheer amount of awesome."

She forms a spear and points it at you. "Now, let me introduce you to my partner in teaching. With their human science they will suplex your mind into the ground. You will stand up after and ask for more, that is an order!"

She beckons you with her spear and you roll in with your wheelbarrow. Like a sneeze after a tornado the electrical engine tries its best to sound as loud as Undyne, but it's no match. You wave to the class and a mix between fear and awe stares back at you. You stand yourself next to Undyne.

"Hello, everyone. In today's lesson we will learn about physics."

"Yes we will!" Undyne adds a little too close to your head.

You make some formulas on the whiteboard while you clean out the yell from your ear. "Physics is the study of forces, motion and energy. To help me demonstrate I brought with me, Undyne."

Undyne waves to the class with a big goofy smile.

"Why don't we start off with a small demonstration shall we. Undyne, could you make your spears blunt so that they don't destroy the floor?"

"Of course she can do that. She's Undyne, the coolest monster," says a voice from the class.

Undyne gives the small monster a thumbs up. "Yes, I can do that," she answers you.

"Good, what I want you to do is to throw your spear at an angle upwards."

She does that and the spear lands with a spark rather than a thump. It takes you a couple of seconds before you understand that it was the spear that made the sound.

"See how it arched?" you ask the class. "We are all being dragged down to earth by a force called gravity. It is what causes rain to fall and spears to land on the ground."

"What about the bird that carries you over a disproportionately small gap? Why aren't they falling down?" asks another monster child.

"Because, just like the spear," you start. You motion Undyne for another, she obliges. "It can create enough force to beat out gravity. Just like you do when you jump up. Undyne gives the spear force with her arm." Undyne flexes at the mention of her arms. "And the bird flaps its wings, creating a force that points down and evens out gravity. Now, for something really interesting."

You take out two plastic balls from the desk. "Watch this!" You throw one ball while simultaneously dropping the other. The one you drop hits the floor way before the one that you threw. You look over your class of question marks. As you pick up both of the balls you feel that they're not the same weight. "Hm, guess I can't demonstrate the theory."

"What's the problem?" asks Undyne.

"They're not the same weight, the experiment needs two objects of the same weight," you explain.

She flashes you a smile. "No problem, I got this. Open your hand."

You do as she says and she creates a spear and pushes the handle into your your palm. You make an involuntary sound as it touches your skin but you soon notice that it doesn't shock or burn you. It feels warm to the touch, but it is a comforting warmth, like a hand warmer on a windy autumn day. You bounce it up a couple of times but it seems to always stay balanced when it lands. You weigh it in your hand.

"A warning would've been nice," you say with a worried laughter.

She smiles at your misfortune. "That would've been boring. I wanted to see how you reacted."

"It is kinda light, could you make it heavier?"

She grabs the spear for a second and when she lets go of it it feels like it is made of dense metal. You struggle to keep a hold of it.

"A bit lighter."

She makes it lighter, it hurts your eyes.

"I meant less weight, and darker too."

It now has some weight to it, not much, but good enough.

"I need another one for my demonstration. Same weight," you say with your other hand open towards her. She creates another in it.

"Yo, they look like Doggo," says Monster Kid. The other kids agree. You give Undyne a quizzical look.

"A guard in Snowdin. He wields two blades, like you."

You nod despite not fully understanding. "OK, now, let's try this again." You throw one spear straight forward and let the other one fall down. They land at the same time and produce a loud spark. "As you can see, gravity doesn't care if you're moving forward, it pulls you down regardless of speed. Undyne, show them. Toss one of your spears forward and let another one drop."

Undyne creates two spears. You give her a chair and she stands herself in position.

"Undyne will now show that you can throw your spear as hard as you can and it will still hit the ground at the same time as the one that she drops as long as they start from the same height."

She drops one and throws the other. It zips out the classroom door.

"Now, as-" you start before you're interrupted by a loud thud. It is shortly followed by the sound of the other spear hitting the floor, the sounds are different.

You lean out into the lobby and see the spear sizzling at the bottom of the office Toriel is in. The lower part of the door is bent inward from the impact. Toriel flings the door open, and you can see papers falling down gently behind her. You wave at her with a guilty smile before you close the classroom door. Undyne is frozen in place and her color is draining. The children are staring at you and those with jaws have them on the ground. You clear your throat. "Yes, um, how about we do some reading?"

You write the pages on the white board and walk over to Undyne.

"You alright there Undyne?" you ask her with a hand outstretched.

She grabs it. "She knows I did it?" she says while staring at the door.

"Couldn't tell, did you disperse your spear in time?" you answer as you help her down.

"No."

You breathe through clenched teeth. "Then she might suspect something, I'll try to talk her out of it, don't worry. How about you go home and work out? Get some color back."

She nods with a blank stare. "Good idea. Thank you." She goes for the door, but halts halfway. She ponders for a bit before she turns around and jumps out of the window. Luckily the kids have their heads deep inside their books. You spend the rest of the remaining time showing more calmer experiments.

The bell rings in the end of your class. You tell the kids their homework and dismiss them. As you finish cleaning off the white board you hear the door close.

"Can I talk to you?"

You breathe out, was only a matter of time. "Anytime Toriel, what's the matter?"

"Human, don't take me for a fool. What happened with the door?" she asks firmly.

"It was hit, it was an accident," you shrug.

"It was one of Undyne's spears, right?"

"It was flattened out, it didn't leave a mark."

She shows the size of the hole with her hands. "The bottom half is hanging by a splinter. Greater Dog could fit."

"Who?"

"A guard in Snowdin."

You nod. "Ah, like Doggo?"

"Yes, but that isn't relevant right now. What is relevant is explaining the broken door to your human leaders."

You start packing your things while she talks. "Can't Asgore pull some strings? This should be a piece of cake for him."

"Yes, he can, but it is a finite resource. I'm not really comfortable spending it on petty things like this."

"Hence why you're building your monster school?"

She flinches. "How do you know that? Who told you?"

"You said before that you planned on building one, I just guessed that's it," you lie.

Her shoulders sink. "Is it that obvious?"

"No, I just knew that you had one planned. It looks like a normal human construction site," you try to comfort.

"Good, good. There's still some tension between monsters and humans. I wouldn't want it to be destroyed before it was built."

"Neither would I, it is closer to where I live."

She snickers and you can see her posture relaxing. "I'm glad I hired you. Are you in the mood for some lunch?"

"I'm eating at home." You kick your wheelbarrow lightly. "Need to bring this one back."

"You planned to use it in your class today?"

You give the wheelbarrow a light rev. "That was the plan, yes. It was supposed to help me visualize friction and forces."

"I would've loved to see that, human," she smiles at you.

You return it. "I'm sure I can work it in another time."

She nods. "I think so to."

Toriel excuses herself and returns into her office, closing the door gently behind her. You pack up your stuff and roll out of the Town Hall.

As you near the monster's neighborhood you see Alphys pacing back and forth uncomfortably outside her house. You wave to her and she shuffles towards you. You meet her halfway.

"Human, I-I need your help," she says while out of breath.

"What is it?"

She starts hyperventilating. "I n-need to get to the Underground, but I can't get hold off P-Papyrus."

"Can't Undyne carry you there?"

"S-she is sick, I think, she is pale, and she's locked herself inside her room."

"Are you missing something important?"

She clutches her head as her breathing increases and you can her tiny whimpers. You bend down and check the battery level on your wheelbarrow, it is full. You also have a spare at home. Are you sure that you want to do this? Going alone into the Underground, the home of the monsters, carrying their Royal Scientist on a wheelbarrow? The surprise factor may protect you, you think. Do the monsters know about you, do you have Asgore's blessing?

Sobs from Alphys pull you back to reality. You can't leave her like this. You make your decision.

"Get in," you order Alphys.

"W-what?" she says with a perplexed look.

"Get in the wheelbarrow. It has a motor, it is the best I can offer," you explain. "You were the one that said that the meeting was important, get in the wheelbarrow. We need to make a quick stop at my house but after that we'll go straight down. You can lead the way."

"I-I think so, but, I don't k-know."

"You want my help or not?"

She nods and climbs clumsily on board. You give your motor full throttle and start your journey.


	18. Keep on rolling

You leave Alphys outside your house while you rush inside and change clothes. After you've changed you fill two water bottles and retrieve the spare battery for your wheelbarrow before you run back out. Alphys says that she'll hold on to the things and you thank her for that. A group of people stop in their track as they see you and Alphys rolling down the street. You pull over your hood over your head as you see them fish out their phones.

The rest of the paved way is calmer and devoid of people, the only thing that can be heard is your footsteps and the electrical motor. As you pass the cemetery you remember that you promised you'd visit again. Not now though, maybe later.

The wheel has a surprisingly good amount of traction on the dirt road that follows the pavement and you don't have to waste energy correcting it as you pick up the pace. You ask your passenger for a sip of water and she fumbles with the cap before she hands it to you. A quick drink later you're rejuvenated and ready to climb the mountain.

You ask Alphys to dismount so that you can gather speed and charge through the overgrown passage.

"W-we can just take the road," she suggests as she dismounts.

"What road? This is the only way up to the cave."

She blushes before pointing with a flustered claw over to the side. "I forgot to tell you, we made a road so that Papyrus can drive up and down the mountain."

"Oh yeah, that makes sense. Good thinking. Where is it?"

She gives you some directions as she climbs back on. You follow them and come across a simple, but well used, road leading up the mountain. The wheelbarrow wheel fits in the tracks and you start your ascension. It is slightly heavier now but you feel that you can do it.

Halfway up you start to struggle and your speed decreases. A couple of minutes later the motor stops and you fall over. The wheelbarrow and its contents follow.

You reach out a hand to Alphys. "I'm so sorry, the battery died. You all right, Alphys?"

She brushes herself off and reassures you that she is fine. You nod and start replacing the empty battery. The motor roars with new vigor and you take another mouthful of water before you and Alphys continue.

"Were almost there, human, I-I can see the plateau," Alphys informs a couple of minutes later.

"Great!" you manage to respond in between breaths.

The sun is reflecting in the mountainside and thousand of tiny white dots fill it and your vision. Alphys is holding an arm over her eyes. You'd love to as well, but you need to keep yours on the handles. You squint your eyes, and almost stumble as your vision narrows.

Your eyes hurt real bad as you reach the plateau, but at least now it is just bright, and not blinding now that you walk along the side of the mountain instead of towards it. Your vision is still mostly purple though. As the way flattens out you feel the engine and you relaxing. You check the battery level, a fourth of the energy have been spent. You've spent a fair bit more, you feel.

"Hopefully the way down to the Underground is much shorter than the way up to it," you say to Alphys.

You realize how stupid it sounds, but luckily Alphys responds that she didn't hear what you said. You wave it off with a laugh.

The cave is even darker than before, but two tracks help you navigate. They're well worn. With some helpful warnings from Alphys you manage to stay upright. As your vision acclimates to the dark you see a stone that seems familiar, but you can't really put your finger on why. The deeper you go the darker it gets, and the whirring of your motor bounces freely on the cave walls.

As you round a corner your eyes are blasted back to blindness. A bright corridor is erected before you. You struggle to make out its form, it is pure white as far as your squinting eyes can see. An ominous atmosphere hangs thick despite the blinding light. The only thing that helps you orientate yourself in this shapeless light is Papyrus' tracks. You follow them.

After a while you come upon a set of different marks. They're colorful and are similar to blast impacts. Slices of blue and orange cover another large part of the ground. There's also small footprints littering the area.

"What happened here, Alphys?" you ask as you look over the scarred ground.

She is avoiding your eyes.

"Some kind of battle? Magic battle?" you try again.

She turns around. You walk around your wheelbarrow, she turns back the other way.

You put a hand on her shoulder, and feel her tense up. "Alphys, what happened here? I'm serious. It's glowing, it's obviously magic."

"I don't kn-now," she answers weakly.

You remove your hand. "You don't know?"

She squeezes her tail. "No, I don't."

"Who does?"

She squeezes her tail harder. "I-I don't know."

"Frisk then, do they know? The footprints are the same size as theirs."

She freezes.

"Then I'll ask Frisk about it later, let's go."

You can hear her gnawing on her claws before you continue.

The corridor ends after a while and you find yourself standing in a garden not unlike the one Asgore have at his Surface home. It has less variety but is more orderly with golden flowers at its center surrounded by green plants. Two thick valleys carve the yellow center and the flowers between them are blackened. You're still on Papyrus's trail, good. The garden bed ends with an ornate door and as you enter you gasp in disbelief.

You stand in another corridor but this one is a kaleidoscope of color. Orange and yellow tiles don the floor and colorful glass windows brings in a large variety of different shades. Thick pillars hold up a beautiful mural of different monsters and locations. You don't recognize any locations, but you do recognize a few monsters. Undyne, Asgore, and Toriel.

There's another goat monster though, a small one. Asgore and Toriel are holding it between them, and a white heart is breaking above it. You also think you see another figure among them, but its color blends in with the background, and you can't really make it out.

You nudge Alphys again. "Who is that, the goat being held by Asgore and Toriel?"

"That's Asr-" she stops.

"Asr? Boy or girl?" you pry.

"I don't, I can't, s-sorry," she says with an increasingly unstable voice.

"They related to Asgore and Toriel? Is it their child? Why haven't I seen them in class?"

You can hear her moaning.

"They away? Allergic to the sun?" You stop in realization. "They're dead aren't they?"

You receive a very weak nod from Alphys.

"Oh no, no, no, I'm such a jerk!" You clutch your head!  "All those times, it makes sense now. What have I done?" You squeeze your hair, almost tearing it off. "That wound, I have poured so much salt in it. Dammit, I have to apologize to them."

"N-no! Don't!" she begs with panic in her voice.

"Why not?"

"If they find out that you k-know about, h-him, I, I don't know h-how they'll react. D-don't ment-tion a-anything about this to them."

"You sure?"

"Yes, I am."

Her lack of stutter convinces you. You nod and continue.

As you exit the orange room your world turns gray. Gray buildings, gray walkways, gray everything. You blink a couple of times to try to reset your vision.

"Y-you alright, you n-need more water?" Alphys asks while holding the blue water bottle in her yellow hand.

"Oh, there's still color," you say before you take a drink. "Um, why is everything gray?"

She shrugs. "The city? I don't know, it's just gray."

What the city lacks in color it makes up in architecture, huge buildings with a mixture of old and new techniques. Old for humans that is, you've no clue if this is modern architecture for the monsters. You recognize a couple of buildings, and hazard a guess that some architecture books must have fallen down. Papyrus' tracks end at the same time the pathway ends and a bunch of tangled up tracks cover the ground. It looks like this is where he stops, but where is his car?

"A b-bit closer please," says Alphys.

You bend over. "What now?"

"I can't reach the button, can you move me a bit closer to the console?"

You look up and see a pair of sliding doors with a pair of buttons next to them. A small nudge later and Alphys pushes one. A deep humming emerges from behind the doors, it sounds almost like Asgore.

You chuckle at the thought of Asgore doing ghostly noises to scare his kid. You would've loved to meet them and you wonder if they would take after Toriel or Asgore the most. A thick, burly voice and a long luscious and golden hair calling everyone my child. The thought brings a mix of sadness and joy.

A high pitched ping signals that the elevator is up.

"You think we'll fit with this?" you ask Alphys.

"W-we should be able to."

The door opens up to a surprisingly roomy elevator and you slide easily in with space to spare.

"Push the button that says 'CORE'."

You do so, and the spooky noise returns. The ride takes a while and you take the opportunity to refresh yourself with some water. It tastes a bit bitter. You open up the flask to inspect it, but you can't find anything wrong. You take another sip, it is very bitter now.

You show her your bottle. "Alphys, is your water bitter as well?"

She turns around to reveal that she's stuffed her nose with two plugs.

"No, my water is fine," she says with a muffled voice.

"Why is there two plugs in your nose?"

As the elevator door opens you figure out why. A wave of sharp smelling air comes crashing in like an odor tsunami. A foul smell fills your lungs and you cough in retaliation.

"Ozone?" you ask out loud.

"Ozone w-what?"

You grasp your nose. "The smell, it is ozone. Why is it here?"

"Wait, I-I think I have an extra p-pair."

She hands you a pair of plugs and you shove them in without thinking. The smell is reduced, but it still lingers in your mouth. You thank her with your own muffled voice and continue. From now on you breathe as carefully as possible. The CORE is as blue as the corridor you just visited before was orange. Below you pulsates something with the same white as the shapeless light you stumbled on before. Arcs of lightning shoot up below you as you walk through the sharp smelling CORE. Alphys is not freaking out over them, weird.

"The whips of deadly energy below us? You familiar with it?"

"M-magical energy, electricity," she answers without looking.

"And Papyrus drives over this walkway? With the children?" you ask with a worried voice.

"No, he d-drives another way."

"And why can't we take the same way?" you ask as a burst of magic erupts in the pool of energy below you.

"T-the other way l-leads through New Home. I did-dn't think you'd want the attention."

You nod. "Oh, then thank you. Still," another splash of magic explodes under you, "couldn't hurt with some guard rails."

"W-we have magical barriers, my design, you see, at the edge there's," she rinses out her mouth of the ozone before she continues, "t-there's a sensor that senses energy, it's tuned not to react to t-the energy below us of course, and it erects a force field if it detects something."

"Serious? That's awesome!" you say with glee in your voice, or is it ozone.

She blushes a bit. "T-thank you, human, it means a lot coming from you."

"Anything else that's cool about it? Besides everything that is."

"N-no it's just..." You throw your water bottle towards the edge of the walkway eagerly waiting for it to bounce back. "It only works for creatures with souls."

The water bottle stirs up a larger eruption of magic as it disappears into the sea of light. Alphys turns her head around to you.

"D-did I say something wrong?" she wonders as she sees your frowned face.

You shake your head at your own stupidity. "What, oh, no, not at all. Um, could I have a sip of water? I've finished mine, you see."

"Yeah, no prob-blem. I might have made it mine though."

"What do you mean you made it yours?" you ask as she hands you the bottle.

"Unauthorized user detected. CAPS LOCK ENGAGED!" the bottle screams out as you take it. You almost drop it.

"Any way to disable it?" you ask as you try to twist open the caps. It's locked tight and you can't move it an inch.

"I haven't p-programmed it in yet," Alphys confesses.

"This bottle will inform the authorities in ten seconds," the bottle threatens. "Please return this bottle to its original owner."

You hand it back to her before you go to monster jail. "You prioritized that over guest access?"

"Well, we m-might meet Jerry and-"

"Jerry?" you interrupt.

"A monster."

"A guard in Snowdin as well?" you guess.

"N-no, I hope not. T-that would be awful. Undyne would despise her job if he joined." She turns around to you. "B-besides, Jerry is not a dog."

"Good to know," you lie. "Before I forget, how did you program my, your, water bottle? Where did you get all the pieces?"

"I had some spare parts in my pocket. My magic also allows me to tinker very easily. It helped me become the R-royal Scientist," Alphys explains.

"You sound a bit ashamed saying that, I thought magic was natural to monsters."

Her grip tightens on the water bottle. "N-no, it's not t-that it is."

She starts fiddling with her tail again. You've learned that tell by now, and decide to drop the subject. Good thing too since your throat is filled with sharp smelling ozone, you'd be wise to spare it.

As you travel further down the smell subsides and after some time you cough it all out and take some long awaited clean breaths. You remove your nose plugs and hand them to Alphys. She gives you a confused and disgusted look and you apologize once you realize. You toss them over the edge of the walkway and a large sizzle erupts shortly after.

When you've filled your lungs with fresh, fresher, air you notice that your surroundings have become more, pipey. Instead of the clean and flat metal walls you're now surrounded by pipes that squeak and vibrate alarmingly common. A nearby pressure gauge is in the red, so you scuttle past it quickly.

"Is this really safe?" you ask as a pipe burst a safe distance away from you.

"I don't k-know," Alphys answers as another gauge above you turns red.

"At least say that we're almost out."

"J-just around this corner."

You round it. "There's just a wall here. It's very dark as well, can't see a thing."

Alphys asks you to get closer to it. She pushes an almost invisible button and another deep hum starts.

"Oh, didn't see it," you inform.

Another pair of sliding doors opens up and illuminate the dark hallway. As you turn around to chose the floor you think you catch a glimpse of something moving in the shadows. "Did you catch that?"

"N-no, but there might b-be some monsters here."

"They live here?" you say as another shadow crosses your field of vision.

She pushes a button named MTT Resort and the doors close. "Yes, the CORE provides electricity to the entire Underground. It needs monsters to maintain it."

"Shouldn't that have been your job, you're the chief scientist aren't you?"

"I had other as-ssignments."

"Like?"

She squeezes her tail harder

"I guess you were probably busy creating awesome inventions like the force field. Am I close?" you say in an attempt to cheer her up.

"I did m-make a jetpack."

You feel your eyes shoot wide open. "You made a... Seriously? That is, I can't even describe it!" You frown, just in case. "Wait, you're not pulling my leg now are you?"

"N-no I made one, y-you can ask Frisk?"

You bend down to Alphys' level. "Frisk has a jetpack?"

"N-not any more, but they had one b-before."

You stand up again with wonder in your voice. "A jetpack. Wow. Could you maybe make one for me? Would make the journey quicker, just saying."

"D-depends if you h-have enough, no, no I c-can't." She shakes her head while curling up.

"Enough what?" The end of her tail is now turning red. You let out a deep sigh. "It's OK, Alphys, I can survive without a jetpack," you lie.

The red gives way for the returning yellow color.

"Anything else you made? Anything as cool as a jet pack?"

"Well I made-"

The elevator stops and the doors open.

"Mettaton! Yes, darling, it is the real Mettaton speaking, now why are you wasting my time? Workplace hazard? The fountain? No, it is to accommodate the more aquatic variants of our people now that the aquarium is filling up. You're not racist, are you now Mr. Health And Safety, or should I say Mr. Only Land Monsters In MTT Resort. Exactly, that's what I thought, darling. Don't forget to tune in later this afternoon. Say hi to the kids and the wife from me. Love you, darling! Kiss!"

The upright cousin of your wheelbarrow turns towards the now open elevator as it closes its cell phone. "Alphys, sweetie, do you have the spare lights I needed?"

"I forgot them, sorry. B-but I might have some in the Lab."

"It's OK, Alphy, I can host in my EX form tonight." The robot lifts his, face. "I see you brought a friend. You look familiar, have we met?" the robot asks as it rolls up to you.

"Um, I think so, you dragged off Undyne, if my memory serves me right," you answer.

"Oh yeah, the human teacher! I've heard so much about you. Tell me, could you perhaps pencil in a couple of hours in the evening at let's say, ah screw it, I'll give you prime time. Meet me here in a couple of hours."

"Anything special I should wear? What are we doing?" you ask, confused by the situation.

"Fighting with bare hands! Yes, you tell him that if he so much as thinks about entering the resort again I'll personally show his face how much he redecorated the suite," Mettaton explains loudly into his phone as he wheels into a nearby door.

"You have any idea what he wants with me?" you ask Alphys while you start rolling again.

"M-maybe h-he wants you to appear on h-his show."

You furrow your brow at the notion. "I think I heard something about that before. Asgore seemed a bit... Is this show dangerous?"

"F-frisk appeared on one."

"And what happened?"

"They defeated Mettaton."

You turn around to the door Mettaton used. "He seems fine to me."

A well dressed monster opens the front door for you and wishes you a safe journey. It also reminds you that you're welcome back at any time.

"I had to fix him up afterwards. It was so c-cool seeing Frisk p-pose, it looked like an anime," Alphys explains with glee in her voice.

"So a dance off of sorts?" you guess.

"Y-yeah, and cooking."

"Cooking, like, baking?" you ask, surprised.

"Yeah, baking hum-" she stops.

"Hum? Humus?"

Alphys nods quickly, a bit too quickly. "Y-yeah, baking humus."

You stop and walk lean yourself next to Alphys. "You've no idea what humus is, Alphys."

She bends her head over.

You stand up again. "What else starts with hum? Human?" You don't get a no in response. "You...you're kidding right? You cook humans? You wanted to bake Frisk?"

Alphys taps her claws together nervously. "N-no, yes, but no. It's a long story. I-I just wanted to be cool."

"Alphys, you made a jet pack, you're cool in my book," you comfort. "Still, why bake Frisk?"

"View ratings, f-for the d-dance off. You really think I'm cool?"

"Jet pack, Alphys, a jet pack," you repeat. "You also made a sentient robot. I mean, as far as cool things go they're pretty high on that list."

"I learned it from your h-human anime," she confesses.

"Some videos slipped down the cracks?" you guess again.

She nods. "Yes."

"Have you found some, um, grown up anime?"

"The kind with blood and where people die?"

You feel your eyes dart back and forth. "Uh, sure, yes, those."

"Y-yeah I have some, they're Undyne's favorite. She always has comments on their fighting technique though."

"Punks, you can't swing a sword like that, it's not bound to your soul, use your magic, whelps!" You say while mimicking Undyne's voice poorly. Alphys laughs, it's not pleasant to your ears. "I would also guess that there would be some random flexing and deadly hugs."

"You have c-cameras on the Surface too, do you see everything we do?"

"Of course not, don't be silly," you laugh again. "What, do you have cameras here in the Underground?"

"I, um, I."

"Oh no, Alphys, really? Is someone watching us right now?" you say with a sigh.

"N-no, I have the monitor on sleep m-mode."

"But someone could get in and see us right now?"

She shakes her head. "I've locked the d-door."

"Fair enough."

The path soon turns red and you feel warmer. In fact, you're sweating, profusely. Alphys takes a big gulp and splashes some water on her face, before you can ask you see why. A large rocky cavern glows red before you and a series of stone paths hang suspended in the air with metal elevators connecting the different parts. Lava flows slowly and quietly below you and you guess it is the source of the heat. You reach for your water bottle, but you only grab air. You make a fist in anger and curse yourself.

Luckily the path is sloping downwards, towards the lava. With each step you take you feel the temperature rise and you feel like your water hose as sweat is sipping out of every pore. As you wipe your eyes off you see something strange. No, not here, it's not possible, it is too perfect. You lean down to Alphys. "Alphys, am I going crazy?"

She looks at you with a scared face.

"Is that, an ice cream stall?" you ask and point towards what you hope is not a hallucination.

"Oh, Nice Cream Guy. I c-can buy you one, pay you back for the snack you bought me."

"I would love one," you say between heavy breaths.

Nice Cream Guy is a bit startled seeing you and Alphys approaching him but he quickly regains his composure. "Welcome, friends! What can I get you?"

"Hi, could I buy a nice cream for my friend?" Alphys asks.

You wave to Nice Cream Guy while resting yourself on the handles.

"Absolutely. I'm always glad to have new customers."

Alphys buys one and hands it to you. Your hand welcomes the cold and as it gets closer to your mouth, so does your tongue. Equilibrium spreads out from your mouth throughout your entire body and you greedily devour the rest of the cone, a bit too greedily.

You clutch your head in pain and the sound of sweat hitting sweat interrupts Nice Cream Guy's counting of Alphys' coin. A second later you fail to hold in an involuntary groan that sounds like a pained animal and interrupt him again. You make an apologetic smile and focus on holding in the rest of the pain.

"Thank you for your purchase, here," Nice Cream Guy thanks after he finally manages to finish counting. He gives Alphys a punch card. "Make two more purchases and get one free. Make sure to tell your friends, if they think Hotland is too hot, they can always come to me."

You wave goodbye and lift the wheelbarrow with one hand. You push the other one against your forehead to hold the cold in. The pain disappears after a while but the cold feeling stays. It feels good.

"Where to now?" you ask as you come upon a crossroad hanging over a sea of lava. You're a safe distance away but you still can't stop thinking about it.

"Left, to t-the elevator."

You enter it and Alphys presses a button labeled Lab.

"You never told me why we had to hurry," you realize.

"Asg-gore summoned me to the Lab."

You brush some sweat off your forehead. "Must be important then."

"Y-yes."

You check the battery, almost empty. You pout your lips in annoyance. "Hopefully I can charge my batteries."

"M-maybe I can build something."

"I would appreciate that, thank you."

The door opens and you see a large white building and confirm with Alphys that it is the Lab. You push your cart, it goes nowhere. You give it some throttle and it moans in exhaustion.

"How long till we get to the Lab?"

"Just a c-couple more turns."

"Maybe we're lucky, hopefully the battery survives."

You have to almost push the entire weight as you near the door. You give your throttle a last good twist and the motor cries out with its last energy. Because of that you manage to gather some speed and you turn the throttle back down so that you can glide for the last bit. It doesn't respond, it's locked in position.

"Something is wrong," you say out loud.

The door is getting closer and you now need to run to avoid tripping over. You twist the throttle harder but it won't budge, you rattle it but to no avail. A squeal makes your head lunge up and you see the door just a couple of steps in front of you. You brace for impact but the door opens and the wheel hits the doorstep hard and snaps. Alphys flies out.

"Welcome to the Underground!" Asgore finishes before he's interrupted by Alphys crashing into his back.

He turns around and catches her before she falls down. Asgore's glass is not as lucky, and it shatters as it hits the floor. You tumble over the wheelbarrow and land clumsily before a series of legs. You recognize the material, suit pants. As you look up you recognize the Mayor's face and the one of the Prime Minister.

"Golly, this is, this is Alphys, our Royal Scientist," Asgore presents Alphys like one would a baby, and she waves with an embarrassed hand. "And this is the teacher I was talking about." You wave with an equally embarrassed hand. "Now that we're all here, plus one," Asgore adds while looking at you. "Why don't we start our tour of the Underground?"


	19. Anime made real

"Alphys, I don't want to be rude, and by the way, thank you for letting me use your shower. It felt good to clean that ozone off." She gives you a nod. "But, is there a chance that you have some more, normal clothing?" you ask as you try to tug your shirt further down. It puts up a good fight and you must abandon your efforts since it just bounces back however hard you pull at it.

"Isn't it normal?" she wonders with a blush.

"You ever seen me wear something like this?" you confront her as you turn yourself towards her. Your cape tangles around your leg and a shoulder pad slips, hitting the side of your throat. The tiara on your head gets crooked. You correct it. "Pink and yellow isn't really my style, you know. Could do with some more pants as well." You untangle the patterned cape and notice your boots. "Are those, cat ears?"

"Mikkarama ears," Alphys corrects.

"Sorry?"

"M-mikkarama, it's a subset of cats, they have magical powers," she explains.

"They're monsters?"

She shakes her head. "No, t-they're from an anime."

"Should have guessed." You tap your toes on the ground to get your foot in a better position. The nose of the shoes wrinkles. "Wait, they move?"

"They're c-controlled by your feet."

You wiggle your toes and the ears move as well, whiskers emerge from the shoes when you flex your toes. The whiskers dance before they retract and you blink as you process what just happened.

"I've got nothing," you say as you re position the loose shoulder pad, it is way too big for you, almost Asgore sized. "Was it really necessary to sew the pads and the cape to the shirt? Without them I think I could pass it off as training clothes."

"They're also connected to y-you. Make a pose."

As you strike a pose and the cape starts flapping heroically. You look yourself in the mirror and can't help but feel pride. It stops as you relax yourself. "Fair enough, the cape can stay then. The shoulder pads should go though."

"They're made for p-protection."

"Like, from swords and magical spells?"

She nods while tapping her claws together. "Yes."

"I appreciate the thought, but I can't have it karate chopping me in the neck every time I turn around."

Try as you might, the pads stay on your shoulders and while you twist them to try to loosen them up they erect spikes made of energy. They go through your hand and you instinctively scream and retract it. When you inspect it you see that it is fine. The spikes didn't harm you. "Alphys, I wouldn't call that protection. It scared the life out of me," you make absolutely clear with panicked breath heaving out of you.

"I-it s-senses the wearers skin and programs the spikes not to i-injure the wearer."

You massage your hand. "Any other surprises?"

"S-shouldn't be."

You make your way towards the bathroom to change back. "Again, I'm grateful that you even have human clothes, but this is too much for me, sorry. I'll figure something else out."

"I'm s-sorry, I j-just though it would look pretty."

"If anyone is pretty here it's you, Alphys. That dress makes you look magical," you yell through the closed door.

She makes an embarrassed laugh and you can hear fabric being strained.

"No, darling stop, you'll ruin it! I had it handmade just for you and now you're wringing the color out of it. Hands off!" comes a voice from the other side.

"M-Mettaton? Why are y-you here?" Alphys stammers out in surprise.

You try to reach the zipper located on your back.

"I came for the spare light, Alphy dear. The ratings show that EX only works with a guest, and the next one canceled. Don't worry, I'll have her head for it."

"I-I think I have them lying around here somewhere."

Your arm can't reach the zipper from above your shoulder so you decide to try from the side. A spike shoots up right next to your eye as you lean under your other arm and you make a startled yell.

"Who is that in there?" Mettaton ask curiously.

"T-the human, they're changing."

"They can do that? Interesting, maybe I won't need Radentim. Why didn't Frisk do it?"

"Changing clot-thes," she clarifies.

"Oh, then I must see what they're wearing. It might clash with the decorations."

Three fast knocks echo from the bathroom door.

"Occupied," you answer while you twist your spine to try to reach the zipper.

"Hello, human, darling, I was just wondering what your outfit is?"

Your fingers close in on their target. You can feel the zipper on your fingertips, just a bit further. "It is coming off, that's for certain."

"We'll resort to that later, if the views go down," Mettaton answers, despite you not asking him.

"This zipper is going down!" you yell in triumph as you finally manage to get a hold.

A metal hand crashes through the door and unlocks it. "Oh no, we can't be having that." The handle is pushed down and the arm is retracted back through the hole it made. "Darling dear! This is perfect! You look gorgeous!" Mettaton squeals out with both his hands on his chins...sides. "Come, we must hurry up and write your contract."

Another pair of extended hands are thrown out against you. They pick you up with a firm grasp and you lose your grip on the zipper.

"I heard Alphys scream, is everything alright? Where are you going Mettaton, and why are you carrying the human?" Asgore asks in rapid succession as you and Mettaton speed past him.

"We're going for the gold!" Mettaton yells back.

You don't manage to call for help before the Lab door is closed behind you.

Sweat barely manages to form on you before you reach the elevator. The ride is long and silent. Mettaton's holding you comfortably so you can't really complain. Good suspension on his leg as well, you didn't feel anything while he dashed through Hotland. You make a mental note to praise Alphys for her design. As the elevator stops your tiara slides down your face, you remove it and massage your nose.

"Put it back on," Mettaton commands.

You remount it on your head quickly.

You can't hear them since you're moving so fast but you can see the monsters you pass whisper to each other.

"Be sure to tune in an hour, I've got a special guest tonight!" Mettaton shouts as you speed through the suburban area in front of MTT Resort.

The doorkeeper greets master Mettaton and his guest and wishes Mettaton good luck with his show.

"Oh darling, I know you want that raise but money is a bit stingy now", Mettaton answers with a flail of his hand.

The door is closed hard behind you.

You're placed in a chair in a small, but beautifully decorated, room and another monster is called by Mettaton. A green monster with four arms enters from another door holding a variety of scissors and bottles.

"Good evening, Mettaton. How can I be of service today?" the monster offers as it makes its way to you.

"I know you want that raise, Radentim. Money is a bit stingy at the moment I'm afraid."

You can hear Radentim snipping a scissor hard next to you. There's also the sound of a printer. You turn around carefully so that you don't set off your shoulder pad and see Mettaton holding up a picture. It looks to be a character wearing a similar outfit to yours. No tiara though, Alphys must have added it on her own whim.

"I want them looking as close to this as possible! Thank you, dear, you're a gem."

Mettaton gives Radentim the picture. Radentim picks up a pair of small glasses as she studies it. A metal hand is placed on your shoulder and spikes shoot up through it. Mettaton takes a glance towards his hand and shrugs.

"Oh, Alphy, you and your little gadgets. Listen, human, Radentim is gonna make you more gorgeous than ever. Just sit back and relax. Can I also get a signature here?"

You look down and see that a worryingly thick pile of paper lies on the desk before you. "I might need some time to read it through," you inform him.

"Oh, darling we don't have time for that."

"But it is a- Hey!"

Mettaton takes your hand in his non pierced one and scribbles some ink above a line- "Great, see you in half an hour, darling!" He rolls out the door while dialing his phone. His other hand is shooting sparks from the holes your pads made.

"So, human, before we start, can you regrow limbs?" Radentim asks after a minute of studying the picture.

"No," you say with a blank stare.

"Can you regrow anything?"

You shake your head while looking at them in the mirror. "Still no. Why are you asking?"

"There's a discrepancy between your proportions and the proportions of the human on the picture."

"Let me see."

Radentim shows you the picture and you spot the problem. You're not the same sex as the character.

"I can probably fix your form, but it might take a bit longer since I must reshape rather than recreate," she explains as she snips her scissor again.

"You-you're thinking of reshaping me, to look like that?" you say with your finger on the character.

"How else would I do it?"

"I don't know? Make up, haircut, anything but changing my flesh," you say with a raised voice.

"Your what?"

"My flesh," you say again.

"My apologies, I still don't follow."

"Humans are made of flesh, not magic."

She removes her glasses. "You sure?"

"Yes, I am."

Two of her arms scratch her head. "I've never heard of flesh. Is it at least similar to magic?"

You shake you head harder. "Not in the slightest."

"So how do you humans do when you want to pretty yourself up?"

You spot something familiar on her belt. "What's in those bottles?"

"I don't know. Mettaton had them dug out of the Garbage Dump," Radentim explains as she lifts a couple of bottles from her belt. "Said it would make me look more professional."

"Not that my pay would increase to reflect that," she adds under her breath.

"Can I have a look?"

Radentim hands you one of the bottle.

You squirt out some and try to form it as closely as you can to the picture. "See, hair mousse, we use it to style our hair."

"Amazing, you humans have some interesting magic."

"It's not magic it is...You know what, yes, we do have interesting magic. The metal tool you're holding, I guess that they're from the Garbage Dump as well, they're called scissors."

"Of course they're scissors, you thought I wouldn't know?" Radentim retorts with some anger in his voice. His?

"Wait a second, your voice changed."

"Yes, it did, my magic is reshaping. Mettaton hired me because of it, to make his guest as gorgeous as they would ever be."

You notice that he has a mustache over his upper lip now.

"Is it dangerous, the reshaping?"

"Oh no, the recipient must of course be willing to go through it of course otherwise I can't do anything. I can't go around changing folk on a whim if that's what you're thinking." Radentim runs a hand through your hair. "Could we rinse out this, mousse, before we start? My scissors would get stuck if I were to cut your hair now." He motions for another chair, and you follow him.

"Is the shaping permanent?" you ask as you lean back in the chair.

She opens a valve and hot water hits your head. Radentim starts massaging your head while she cleans out the mousse, it feels amazing.

"No, of course not, the receivers magic is pushed away temporarily so that I can shape it."

You feel yourself doze off a bit, and you wish your pads were gone so that you could ask Radentim to massage your shoulders as well. You feel that they're a bit sore from the journey with Alphys.

"So that's why you asked me if I could regrow my limbs," you say with a silent and somber voice as you can feel your eyelids becoming heavier.

Radentim lets out a small laugh. "Oh no, I don't do that, I just make that joke sometimes. You see, the reactions never fail to amuse me. No, my magic don't allow for any invasive reshaping like reforming limbs and shape, at most it can reshape hair or change the color of scales and such, and for the most time it is all that's needed."

You hear the words, but you don't process them as you let the relaxation take over.

"There, all done," you hear yourself say causing you to wake up with a lunge.

"Hehe, always works," Radentim laughs out as he cleans his instruments.

"Who, what?"

"That was me, I find that it's the most effective way of waking up my clients," Radentim says with your voice.

You put your hand on your pounding heart. "Could you do me a favor and never do that again?"

"Depends if you'll be my client again. Now, have a look in the mirror."

You jump out of the chair as you see the character from the photo staring back at you in the mirror. "How did you, I mean?" you stutter as you inspect your new form with your hands.

"I don't always use magic. Thanks by the way for showing me what the bottles are used for by the way. They will come in handy for later clients."

A door is pushed open and a monster wearing a headset peeks in. "Show's live in fifteen," it informs.

"Thank you. The human is ready," Radentim ensures.

"I'll tell M," it closes the door behind it as it leaves.

"Looks like our time together has come to an end. I hope you enjoy yourself out there, good luck human," Radentim informs.

You're still busy admiring Radentim's handiwork.

"Thank you, Radentim," she says with your voice again.

"What? Oh, sorry. I'm just flabbergasted, this is amazing," you explain.

"Don't sweat it, I get it a lot, and also it would probably loosen the glue a bit. I find that if people don't answer they really appreciate my work."

"Still, it was rude of me not to answer. Thank you Randetim, for, uh, this, I guess," you say as you run your hand over your new form again.

"You'll compete with M's EX form that's for sure."

You stand up from the chair. "EX form?"

"You don't know? Then this will be grand," he laughs. "Now off you go, I need to clean up. The stage entrance is three doors down to the left."

You're shoved out of the make up room and left standing in an empty corridor. The face you wear is still foreign and you inspect it one last time. Maybe it is for the best? Your true face will be concealed, could open up some opportunities. You smile at the thought. Third door to the left. You take a deep breath and enter.

A monster grabs your arm as soon as you enter the darkened studio. You're placed in a comfortable chair surrounded by velvet curtains.

"Three minutes! Let in the audience!" you hear a monster yell.

Heavy doors open and a large number of footstep draws closer to you. They stop a bit from you and mumbling fills the studio, you can't make out the words. You've no sense of time inside your felted cage, and after what feels to you like twenty minutes the mumbling stop.

You can feel your heart beating faster in response. You hear a click above you and the studio is filled with applause. Music starts playing and the floor under you rumbles. A loud mechanical sound almost drowns out the music and after a couple of seconds smoke sips in under the curtains. Cheers overtake the music and more clapping follows suit. They take a while to recede and without missing a beat you hear Mettaton's voice.

"Good evening darlings, welcome to part two of our human special. How can one forget last time? A fallen child making their way, alone and confused, through the Underground. They stumbled into our world and then they saved us from it. Today I have with me another human, but this one is an adult."

You hear another lamp powering up and the audience gasps.

"Will this one do as much for us as Frisk did? Or will they remind us why they erected the barrier?"

Another flick and the audience boos. You twist your face in annoyance.

"Or will they invite us up so we can bask in the sun and count the stars once again? And I'm not talking about the stars in the Waterfall."

The monster controlling the lamp is probably very tired now as they power on another lamp causing the audience to laugh.

"So, without further interruptions, I present to you, the human teacher!"

The curtain opens and you're blinded by the spotlight shining straight at you. Your eyes adapt after a while and you look out over the sea of applauding monsters. You lift an insecure hand and wave. The room explodes into more cheers.

"Now now, darling, save some for me."

You turn towards Mettaton's voice, but the face that greets you isn't his. For a starter, it's a face.

"Who, who're you?" you ask the robot.

"I can't hear you. You're not wearing a microphone? Guess somebody is getting fired today."

You hear panicked footsteps behind you.

The robot dives under his desk. "Wait, I think I have, ah, there we go," An old microphone is dug up from beneath the desk. The robot lays itself on the table stomach down and legs bent up. "Better now?" you hear Mettaton say through the speakers around you. The fabulous robot nods to himself. "Now, human, why don't you introduce yourself?"

The microphone is brought before you, but because it is being wielded by a unskilled hand it hits your mouth, and you blow through your lips instinctively.

"Well that's rude, I just wanted to ask a question."

You hear the familiar sound of the lamps above you and the audience laughs. You push the microphone a bit from your mouth.

"First, who are you? I was supposed to be with Mettaton."

The audience laughs without the light.

"Oh, darling, don't you recognize me?" he says while twirling his finger next to his face.

"Mettaton? Is this the EX form you were talking about?"

He rolls around seductively on the table before returning to his position on his stomach. He is leaning his head in his free hand now though. "Do you like it?"

You nod. "Sure. Alphys' design?"

"We cooperated, but enough about me, let's get to know you. First off, I've heard you were the first human our King and his companions saw on the Surface, is that correct?"

The microphone barely graces your lips this time. You still need to push it back.

"I guess so, we met in the cave. I don't know if they met any spelunkers though."

"Amazing! I've also heard that you teach the monster kids?" Mettaton puts a hand up to his ear. You can hear some murmuring coming from his ear. "Oh, looks like we got a call. Go on viewer, you're live."

"Hello, teacher. I can't give back my homework tomorrow, I tripped in front of Doggo and he attacked it. Is that OK?" you hear a kid's voice ask through the speakers.

The tension that's hanging in the air is as thick as syrup.

"Did you finish it?" you answer.

The audience starts cheering, but Mettaton shushes them.

"Yeah I did, I swear," the kid promises.

"Tell me the answer then."

"Ten meters a second."

You look over the crowd, they're as tense as a violin string. You give them a wink. "Correct."

A roaring cheer fills the studio.

"Thank you, caller! Look forward to a MTT plush sometime next month or so," Mettaton says before ending the call. "So, you do teach the kids. Tell me, do you teach them human magic?"

"No, human science."

"So no magic?" he asks with the same confusion as the rest.

"No, but I do know a couple of tricks."

"Show us."

You prepare the same trick that you showed at your interview with Toriel, hide one thumb and bend the other. You perform your magic and the same reaction happens but this time it is multiplied by a hundred. Like a shock wave of fear the audience falls backwards in shock. Mettaton drops his microphone and it bounces loudly on the floor. You pretend to screw your thumb back in place and then you show it up triumphantly.

"And on that note, let's go to commercial," Mettaton informs with a shaky voice. The studio light is dimmed and Mettaton walks over to you. "You told Radentim you couldn't regrow your limbs."

"I can't. It was just a trick, not real magic."

He narrows his eyes for a second before returning to his desk. A monster brings you some water and you thank them.

Ten minutes later the music starts again. Mettaton poses majestically on his desk as the audience cheers yet again. "Welcome back to our second part of what I foresee to be a long running series of human guests," he says before throwing his legs around so that he faces you. "Now, human, about the children that fell, you have any thoughts about that?"

The room goes quiet as the microphone travels to you. It finally stops where it should be.

"Children, what children? Frisk?"

"Frisk is one of them, yes."

"One of them? There's more? Where are they?" you say with lowered eyebrows.

"Dead," Mettaton says without changing his face.

Your eyes shoot wide open. "Here, in the Underground?"

"Where else could a child fall down?"

"Why haven't Asgore said anything? He's your king right?"

"Maybe because he-"

Mettaton is interrupted by a red car crashing through the backdrop. You can see a blue line glowing through the smoke. It closes in on you, and lifts you out of the chair. You're thrown in the backseat of the car.

"Drive this worthless piece of junk out of here Papyrus!" Undyne yells.

"I WILL UNDYNE, FOR YOU SEE, AS A ROYAL GUARD I MUST DO AS THE LEADER OF THE ROYAL GUARD SAY AND I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS WILL ALWAYS OBEY MY CHAIN OF COMMAND!"

"I'll hang you from the chain of command if you don't slam the pedal right now!" she commands loudly.

You manage to seat yourself up before you're thrust down in the seat again as Papyrus reverses out of the stage. An expertly made handbrake turn causes you to slam into the door and your shoulder pads activate. Stage light shines through the holes and you manage to spot Mettaton giving chase.

"Undyne, I'll put you on cleaning duty for this!"

Undyne throws a spear over your head as she gets up on the seat. It crashes next to Mettaton, but he still manages to close in on you. Undyne forms a bigger and more unstable spear in her hand. Her white smile contrasts with her red hair blowing over it. "You had your chance you misprogrammed toaster, the next one will hit you."

She winds up the throw but is hit in the back the head by a low hanging lamp. She falls out of the car and tumbles as she lands.

"Papyrus stop, Undyne fell off!" you yell.

"ASGORE SAID THAT YOU WERE A PRIORITY, AND ORDERED US TO GET YOU TO HOTLAND BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY! UNDYNE KNEW THE RISKS, AND SO DO I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS!"

"Still we have to get back to her!"

Laughs and taunts echo from behind you.

"Okay, maybe not."

"DON'T WORRY, HUMAN, UNDYNE WILL SURVIVE! METTATON WOULDN'T DARE KILL HER, SHE HAS TO FILL IN FOR BURGERPANTS TOMORROW!"

"Fill his what?"

Your question is drowned out by the screeching of tires as Papyrus slides into the lobby. You spot an identical pair of tracks and a line of torn up floor. It has a weak blue glow to it. The monster at the door welcomes you back anytime as it holds up the door as Papyrus speeds down the street.

"HERE WE ARE, HUMAN! HOTLAND, THE FIRST TIME IS ALWAYS MAGICAL!"

"I was here like an hour ago."

"HERE WE ARE HUIMAN, HOTLAND! THE SECOND TIME IS ALWAYS AS MAGICAL AS THE FIRST TIME! TAKE THAT FROM ME, THE GREAT PAPYRUS!"

"Asgore said anything about what we should do when we got here?" you ask as you leave the bent up vehicle.

"YES, HE TOLD UNDYNE EVERYTHING!"

"That might be a problem."

"NO, UNDYNE'S MEMORY IS AS SHARP AS HER SPEARS! WELL, GOTTA GO NOW, METTATON'S SHOW STARTED A WHILE AGO AND I DON'T WANT TO MISS HIS GUEST!"

He drives off leaving you confused and alone in your costume, in Hotland.

"You seem confused, friend, why not cool your head with a Nice Cream?" Nice Cream Guy proposes from a ways behind you.

You decide it is a good idea.


	20. Hoi, be our guest

There's some coin in a pouch sewed in the lining of your cape, "Thank you, Alphys," and you use some to buy some Nice Cream. You make sure to eat it slower this time so you don't get a brain freeze. With the Nice Cream in your mouth you thank Nice Cream Guy, and head for the Lab. As you approach the elevator you spot a sign hanging on it.

"Closed for human tour," you read out loud.

The button beeps angrily when you push it and a robotic voice speaks. "Magic identification required. Please, disclose your magic, Undyne."

You sigh and turn around causing your cape to wrap around your leg. One untangling and some quiet swearing later you wonder out loud how anyone can use something like this seriously.

"The elevator is closed, friend. Something about a human delegation," Nice Cream Guy informs.

"I know, I was here an hour or so ago."

"Didn't notice you, and trust me, you're not someone you forget easily."

"I was with Alphys," you remind him before you remember. "Oh, wait, one second."

You turn around and tear off the make up on your face. The sweat you've build up despite the Nice Cream helps as you rip it off, leaving your skin red and hot from irritation. You toss your face into the lava and turn around to face Nice Cream Guy again, but you can't find him. You do see a shaking Nice Cream stand though.

"Did I scare you? I didn't mean it, I just wanted to get that make up off," you apologize.

"Y-you took your face off," he responds from behind his stand.

"It was a prosthetic, a fake. Radentim applied it."

You don't get an answer, and decide to leave some coin as an apology.

"B-be sure, to tell all your friends," you hear him whimper out as you leave.

There's two paths you've yet to travel on. You pick one at random, and soon you come upon a gloomy looking area. You see a spider scuttle past you on the floor. It doesn't seem to be interested in you as it scurries along with a coin. A table is set up with a blanket over it. A sign with a number of items and prices is present on it along with a couple of plates with said items. Doughnuts, muffins, and slices of cake. Tempting, but the prices for them are outrageous. You leave them be.

More and more spider webs clog the area the further you go. Judging by them, this must be an old and abandoned place. Why does it smell like a bakery though? You have no time to answer your own question as you're jerked up by your feet and left hanging like a fish on a hook. You change your metaphor as you see what caught you, you're a fly in a spider's web.

"Oh, look here, another visitor," a voice cheers from the dark. A loud sound, like an aspen in the wind, respond to the question, and the answer echoes through the hollow cave. "How nice to have a visitor. We were just baking, and today we're trying one of Mettaton's recipes."

You're spun around and faced with a large spider wearing a red dress and bows in its hair. It gives you a small smile, exposing two fangs in the process, as it pours you a cup. You thank it nervously as it hands it to you. Because of your shaky hand you spill some on it, and the spiders you spilled crawl up your arm and jump onto nearby webs, disappearing in a heartbeat. Quicker than a normal heartbeat, yours is quite off the charts at the moment. The spiders left in the cup seem content with being there oddly enough.

"Problem is, we don't have a human soul to add that extra flavor, we would sell so much more if we had some," the large spider explains as it pours a cup for itself. "You don't happen to have a spare cup of souls?"

You shake your head.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch that, let me move you into the light."

You gulp as five eyes pop wide open when you reach the less dark area.

"A human, oh my. This might be a sensitive question, but could I use your soul for my baking?"

Once again you shake your head. It pains you greatly as you feel all the blood that's been collected since you were turned upside down slosh around in your skull.

The spider clamps its limbs together like a child and looks at you with watery eyes. "No? Why not, pretty please?"

"We can discuss it if you put me down," you suggest.

"We can? Wonderful. Muffin, down!"

You're dropped onto a spider web and bounce awkwardly before you finally get your head upright. Your vision darkens a bit as the blood rushes back down your body.

"Good Muffin, I'll let you play with the human later. Ahuhuhu~"

You're lifted up by a small army of spiders and carried to Muffet, you guess, judging by the letters hanging over her made out of spider string. She's applying the finishing touches on a dining set made out of web and you're placed down in a chair. A chill goes up your spine as you feel that the chair is still wet.

"So, how can I get your soul?" she says, leaning on  one of her pair of spider hands.

Another hand is asking you if you want a refill of spiders, and you look down to see that you're still clenching the cup. You nod even though you don't want more. As one hand pours another is serving you some doughnuts. They look freshly made, and you feel yourself being a bit peckish all of a sudden.

"Taste good?" she asks as you take a greedy bite.

You nod with a big smile.

"Then that will be 5000 G."

You cough as the price knocks the air out of you. "I don't have that much money on me!" Pieces of doughnut flies out of your mouth, but they're intercepted in the air by a team of spiders in small tuxedos.

"Oh well, I can take your soul in payment. Muffin, play time!"

You feel drops of drool of your head. "How about we trade instead?" you offer.

"We're already trading your soul for the doughnut."

"No, I mean, trade something else," you clarify with a nervous laugh.

"And what would that be?"

The sharply dressed spiders turn themselves to you.

"Recipes?"

They start applauding, it sounds very uncomfortable.

"What kind of recipes? Ones with human souls?"

More drool lands on your head. You grab the seat of your chair and jump a bit to the side. "Hehe, you see, they don't contain souls. We humans don't use souls in our cuisine," you explain as you clean the saliva out of your hair.

"But, Mettaton said that human souls increase the flavor, and that free range souls taste even better. Your food must taste awful." You hear a rattling above you disagreeing to the notion. "Their food, Muffin, not the humans themselves."

"Cute pet you got," you say in an attempt to change the subject.

"Muffin? Yes, the cutest, the best."

You shoot her a wink. "Not as cute as you though."

She straightens her dress with one pair of hands, fixes her bows with another pair and hides her face with the third. "Oh, human. No one's ever said that to me. You're cute as well."

A spider lights a candle on the table.

"And your bakery is out of this world, magical," you continue. "That is not something we say often, we humans."

Despite using six hands she can't hide her giggle, and you can see that her cheeks are turning red just like her dress.

"Your Muffin, can I pet it?" you ask her.

"Ahuhuhu, of course. Muffin, come down here."

A huge spider almost as big as you descends and lands next to you. It stares at you for a while before scuttling over to Muffet.

"The human wants to pet you. No biting."

Muffin sulks loudly.

"No, Muffin, just pet. No eating, I'll feed you later, wrap them up nice for you," she promises with voice a like how you would talk to a dog.

The spider pet makes it way to you with an uncomfortably slow pace. It stops next to you with a hungry look on its face. You raise a hand and put it gently on its head. It's hairy, like a dog, but the hair is stiff, and it scratches your hand as you rub it.

"Aren't they the bestest and cutest?" Muffet asks with a smile.

You glance down and see a mouth watering so much you're afraid that it might drown.

"Sure is," you agree. You're unsure about your sincerity. You can also hear your own insecurity in your voice, but Muffet doesn't seem to pick it up. She calls her pet back and whispers something into its ear. It nods its head and jumps up into the dark ceiling.

"You live here alone?" you ask as you try to spot her pet in the dark.

"No, I have my spiders."

"I mean, no other monsters?"

"I have Muffin!" You feel a drop of saliva hit your neck. "And I get plenty of money from my bake sale," she continues.

"I'd be shocked if you didn't! With that face and with these doughnuts one would be crazy not to."

You think you hear faint music, and look down to see that the spiders have brought forth instruments. They're playing a tune you've not heard before. Muffet seems to be familiar with as she's leaning on her hands with her elbows on the table. You mimic her movement. "Seems that you still enjoy the company of others despite being surrounded by your spider friends."

She looks down with a frown. "People don't want to talk to me, they think I'm scary," she laments with a quivering lip.

"What about Frisk? Did you meet them?"

She nods before shaking her head. "They didn't want to play."

"I see."

A song passes before Muffet looks up again. "Human, can you stay, with me? We can bake together."

You put a reluctant hand on one of Muffet's. "I'm so sorry, Muffet, but I need to leave."

You can see a tear forming in one of her eyes.

"But when things get better, why don't you open a bakery on the Surface?"

She blinks a couple of times, still with a quivering lip. "W-would you come visit?"

You give her a reassuring smile and a nod. "Every day."

Her smile returns.

"But for now I need to get going. Thank you, Muffet. It's been...nice."

She stops you as you lift yourself up, "Before you go."

She leans in with her cheek and you give it a peck. You can't tell where her dress starts and her blushing cheeks end when you finally wave goodbye to her.

After you're sure she's out of hearing distance you curl your cape up and stuff your mouth with it.

You then scream.

You return to the crossroad with your fear out of your head and lungs. You wave to Nice Cream Guy, he's busy serving a couple of monsters, but he waves back.

"Don't forget to tell your friends," he reminds you.

"If you don't mind me asking, you wouldn't happen to know where the humans went?"

He shakes his head. "No. Sorry, friend."

"You're looking for the humans?" a large monster asks with an ice lolly in its hand. It has no shirt on and you admire how much his muscles reminds you of human anatomy.

"Y-yeah," you say after a long second.

"We know, they were heading for the Waterfall. You're a human right? Why aren't you with them?" another similar looking monster asks.

"Long story. Where to the Waterfall?"

You get some directions from the two Nice Cream wielding monsters, and thank them.

The directions lead you closer and closer to the lava, and you need to dry your face of sweat with your cape in quick intervals. Thirst haunts your throat as the saliva you swallow becomes less and less. You berate yourself for not getting a Nice Cream for the road.

The lava is now but a couple of meters below you, and you need to stop to catch your breath. Sweat is dropping and your eyes sting because of it. Through watery eyes you see something weird, a water cooler. You conclude that it must be a hallucination, but as you near it doesn't disappear, it becomes clearer.

You lay a hand on it and feel that it is cool. You embrace it and let its cold take hold of you. You rip out a cup from the holder with great force and pour. After a couple of cups you decide to just put your head under the faucet. You drink until you need to catch your breath. You catch it, and then drink even more. The container seems not to empty and you also wash the salt from your face and hair. You stand up and run a hand through your hair as you let out a pleased sigh.

With your head cleared and your thirst quenched you spot a bridge leading to a place that's as blue as Hotland is red. It looks welcoming with its cold droplets hitting the floor. One problem though, the unstable bridge leading to the blue area is swinging over molten stone. Maybe you should just turn back? Yes, better not risk it.

You turn yourself only to see a monster pass you. It greets you as it passes and walks easily over the bridge not giving any thought to the red and boiling liquid of death below it. You think about your situation and conclude that if Frisk could do it, so could you.

Probably.

You place a nervous foot on the edge of the bridge. It seems to hold your weight. You slowly shift more weight onto it. The bridge swings a bit, but you can't feel the movement. After a while you've managed to get every part of you on the bridge. You lean to the side to see if the bridge responses, it doesn't. You shrug your shoulders and walk over it easily.

Alrighty then.

The air on the other side of the bridge is filled with moisture and cold. You welcome it with open arms and mouth. Droplets hit your head rhythmically, but you let them. You take a deep breath to clear your lungs of the heat from Hotland and fill them with the cool air of the Waterfall. No signs of Asgore, Alphys, or the humans though. You keep on walking. The sound of rushing water makes a nice shift of tone for your ears and you delight in it. A small river runs under you with large ice blocks floating towards Hotland. Curious.

A little while later you exit an ominous opening in the cave. It looks like the entrance on the Surface but more, spiky. As you back up to inspect it further you hear people speaking, but you can't find where from. You cross two more bridges as the voices get stronger and stronger. They seem to come from around the corner ahead of you.

You round it but you can't see anyone, just flowers. Blue flowers, glowing in a similar color to Undyne's spears. Maybe she has a softer side? You bend over to pick some.

"You heard?" it says as you grab its stem. You retract your hand and the voice fades away. You give it another poke. "A human destroyed the barrier," the flower continues.

"Huh," you say.

"Huh," another flower repeats.

You produce a big smile on your face and give the flower patch a tap with your foot before you sweep it with your leg. Like a heated argument with participants that are having different conversations the cave is filled with voices. They fade away after a while leaving the cave quieter than before. You find one flower that says that Undyne is really cool and pick it. It goes on your ornamented belt for now.

A couple of minutes later you come across a pitch black room. You enter it carefully. As you set down your foot a path lights up. You whistle in awe and follow it. It leads to an entrance with a sign on it.

"'Temmie Village', all are welcome! Hoi!" you read for yourself.

The letters are randomly capitalized. As you enter you're jumped by a small monster and it lands in your arms.

"OMG, biggest human ever. Don't worry, human! I've buyed pills from Tem Shop, no more allergic reaction," it says. Its face swells up and hives form alarmingly quickly. You drop the monster instinctively and it vibrates in the air for a while before landing softly. "Oh no, out of date, no good."

"You alright?" you ask worryingly.

"Hooman nice, care for Temmies, but not me please. I don't wanna more allergic," it explains.

"So, you need a doctor or anything, some healing magic?"

"No, Temmie fine, just big face for a while. Don't worry, hooman."

You step over the vibrating monster, "Well if you say so..." and you're immediately jumped by another one.

"Hooman cool leg, how much?" the identical monster asks you.

You move it away from your face and it laughs in glee as its face spins. You twist your face in confusion. "Excuse me?"

"Cool leg, you know?"

You shrug your shoulders. "I mean, I can't think of a pair that comes close to Mettaton's."

"No, not cool leg, cool leg. Where you get smarts and stuff!"

You think for a while, "Ah, college."

"Yes, cool leg."

You shrug again. "Well yeah, we have them."

"How much?" it asks with an annoyed and annoying voice.

"To get in? I don't know, depends on the university," you explain.

"Help Temmie go to cool leg?"

You look down on the monster at your feet. "Help Temmie, the one allergic to humans to go to college? A human college? I don't think that's a good idea even with medicine."

"No, not Temmie! Temmie! Me Temmie," the monster in your hand angrily clarifies except that it doesn't.

"And who is that convulsing on the floor?" you ask with your chin down.

The allergic one is spinning and laughing at the same time.

"That's Temmie."

You raise an eyebrow. "You have the same name?"

"Yes, we all Temmie."

"But if I want to talk to you," you ask with a finger on their stomach, "what do I call you?"

"Temmie."

You roll your eyes and set Temmie down. Another Temmie goes for a jump but you dodge them.

"Hooman, come, buy Tem Shop," waves another Temmie.

You approached with curious intent.

"Hoi!" it welcomes.

"Hoi," you respond.

"Hooman can hoi! What you want?"

You squat down to see what is in the store.

"No, hooman stand! Not serious if hooman go small. Hooman big, hooman serious. Tem need broaden customer reach."

You stand up againm "Better?"

"Yes, serious now, We can business."

You browse the storefront. "So, do you have something interesting for a human?"

"Yes, but we don't have."

"Aha," you nod.

"But, Tem has two," they proudly announce.

"I understand." You don't understand. "Listen, I have like 10 G left, surprise me."

Temmie's face starts vibrating, you don't think you can get used to it. "Hoi, customer is cool."

"Cool leg?"

"Already been cool leg." The dog like monster hands you a small packet of Temmie Flakes. "Temmie Flakes best, it has toy."

You open the packet only to find a toy and no flakes.

"Oh no, Tem forgot flakes again," Tem sulks.

"You know what? Here, take the toy," you sigh and hand it back.

"Hoi, Tem buy, yes."

You're given back your money.

"Hooman must move, other customers want buy from Tem Shop."

You turn around to see a queue filled with air stacked behind you.

You shake your head as you walk towards the exit sign. It says 'Temxit' and has a picture of a Temmie .

The sign leads to another dark room with luminescent floor and you follow the path that lights up. The sound of rushing water grows in strength the further you walk on the path. It ends at a corner and you round it. Large waterfalls roar next to you, but you don't mind the sound. It's quite relaxing, despite the violent rushing. What you do take an interest in is a couple of plaques hanging on the wall. Your feel your eyebrows lower with each sentence you read closely until you almost touch the tip of your nose with them.

"What in the world?" you ask out loud.

"Wa ha ha! Oh, Fluffybuns, you clumsy goat. You let one get away," you hear a voice laugh.

"Hello?" you ask the voice.

"Yes, hello indeed! Seems like you're lost, human. Aren't you supposed to be with your group?"

"Uh, we got separated," you lie.

"Very! They left with River Person an hour ago," the old monster explains.

"I guess that's a good thing?"

An old raspy laugh comes from the monster. "You seem to be interested in our shared history," he says and nod towards the plaques. "Why don't I put on some tea and we could share our findings?"

"That sounds lovely, uh."

"Gerson, my name is Gerson."


	21. A trip back in time

"And the royal wedding, oh, it brings a tear to my old eyes. So majestic."

"How so? Describe it, please."

"Wa ha ha! It was like nothing you'd ever seen. Dance, food, music. A whole civilization stops to join the festivities, to celebrate our newly wed royals. Hold on, I think I have something from the party," Gerson reminisces. He struggles to get up and you offer your help. "Wa ha ha, this old hammer still has some justice in it! Sit down you, you must be tired from your journey."

He motions for you with his magnifying glass and you throw up your hands. His grip is that of a veteran and you don't want that thing clocking you on the head. After a couple minutes of rummaging and loud thinking Gerson comes back with an ornate box. You recognize the insignia, the Dreemurr crest.

"This was given out to the guests of honor," Gerson explains as he dusts the box off.

"Then I've met with an important monster I reckon."

"The hammer of justice, that was me, ex Leader of the Royal Guard."

"The hammer, ey?" you say with a snicker.

"Watch out so I don't bring it down on you," he threatens.

You put a hand up. "Sorry, it caught me off guard."

"Mhm? Anyway, inside this box is a memory."

"Memory? A piece of a brain?"

The magnifying glass of justice is brought down on your head and it hurts just as much as you thought. "Don't be silly, human. It's magical, of course."

"Still not used to magic being the norm," you explain as you rub your head. "What does it do?"

"It shows the moment most precious of the event."

"Precious for who?"

You cower a bit as Gerson raises his magnifying glass again. "If you would let me finish." He regains his composure by rolling back his shoulders."The moment most precious for the recipient of the box."

You nod. "Cool beans, how does it work?"

"It binds with the soul and connects with the magic running through the monster, becomes a part of the monster. The magic is dangerous, hence why only a selected few were granted it, as the monster can become stuck in the memory, doomed to repeat it forever yet not realizing it." Gerson looks at you with serious eyes. "Human, would you give up your life to relive a moment in your life forever yet every time feel like it was the first time?" He shakes his head. "Many a monsters have been lost in thought, literally, because of memories like this."

You gulp and look him dead in the eyes.

"Wa ha ha, no I'm just having some fun at your expense, human. You just open it, like this."

A bright light fills the room and as you remove your arm from covering your eyes you look up to the newly wed royal pair. King Asgore gives you a thankful nod, and you bow down deep to show your respect and equal thanks. The Leader of the Royal Guard, the hammer of justice, you can't help but to feel proud over the position. Toriel steps up first and makes a speech about how her newly granted title would help her change the Underground for the better. She receives a standing ovation and steps down from the podium with the microphone still in her hand. You step in to warn her, but hear her voice through the speakers as she nears Asgore.

"Your turn, Fluffybuns," she teases.

A couple of long seconds passes as the crowd processes what she said. It then bursts into roaring laughter. As she realizes what she said Toriel starts laughing to. You struggle to contain your own. Asgore lets the laughter go on for a while before he lifts his hands up, gently silencing the crowd and his new queen. He carefully takes the microphone out of Toriel's hand, and steps up on the podium. He refastens it on the stand, and leans in with the most stern expression you've ever seen. Even more than dad's.

"Dear citizens," he starts, "thank you all for coming here!" He pauses for a second as the crowd holds its breath."I, King Fluffybuns."

You hear another laughter, it reminds you of your own yet it is, old. Another white flash rips you from the moment.

"What was it you said, cool beans, right?" an older version of you asks you.

You take a moment to remember which memories that belong to you. "I'm, human?" you say as you inspect your hand. It has five fingers, one too many.

"Yes, you are, just give it a minute, drink some tea. The magic is temporary, it'll fade away soon," Gerson assures.

You do as the old you say and take a sip. After a while you can feel your head getting clearer and memories of growing into your shell fade away. "Gerson, is there more of this magic out there?" you ask as you inspect your hand. It has five fingers, just enough.

"Of course! I wasn't the only guest to be granted one."

"You said that the magic was temporary, so how come I can still remember Fluffybuns." You laugh as you utter the word 'Fluffybuns'. "See? Why am I laughing so hard at it?"

"Without context the moment would've been lost. I add the characters, and the magic fills in the background."

You nod as your laughter fades.

"Wa ha ha, I've kept you for far too long. Why don't you hurry along and catch up with your human friends?"

You stand up. "They're not my...never mind."

"Oh, before you go," Gerson halts you and hands you a pin shaped like the Delta Rune. "There was boxes full of these at the wedding. Give one to Frisk as well as my thanks, for bringing hope back to the Underground. Also, when you exit my shop, take a right and follow it past a couple of houses, there should be a small gap and a bird. The bird will help you cross the gap, don't worry."

You give the old monster a thumbs up before you leave.

A house is playing some loud music, it sounds good though and you bob your head to the rhythm. A short while later you come to the small gap Gerson mentioned. Tiny in fact, you can jump over it no problem.

You take a running start, but a bird flies up in your face and stops you in your track. It flies over your head and lifts you up. You wonder how such a little bird can carry such a heavy object. Magic, you conclude. The fact that it isn't the strangest thing to have happened to you today is not sitting the best with you though.

The journey takes a while despite the small gap, and you twiddle your thumbs as you hang suspended in the air by two small feet. You thank the bird for the ride as it places you down on the other side of the gap, and it gives a whistle in thanks.

A telescope stands alone around a couple of corners. You take a peek and it shows you some pretty crystals in the cave roof. You nod in satisfaction and carry on. You whistle a tune for yourself as you keep on walking, and it attracts the attention of some monsters. You hear one sing out of tune to your whistling. Out of pity you try to match your whistle to the tune of the monster, but it keeps changing so much that the effort start to hurt your lips. It has its back to you, and you take the moment to hurry along out of its hearing distance.

Another monster beckons you to flex with him, but you kindly, yet firmly, deny. He flexes in response and you dodge him in some tall grass. A bridge made out of what looks like flowers helps you cross another waterfall. You wonder why the name of the place isn't in plural. A stall stands on your right with a sign. You laugh at it.

"Guard stationed on duty, Sans. Report any and all human activities you see to him,", it reads.

"Bang up job, Sans," you congratulate and give the stand an OK sign with your hand.

As you laugh you notice that your breath is condensing in the air, forming clouds. You narrow your eyes to see what might have caused it.

"Snow?" you ask out loud.

Not only that but there's a town as well. Snowdin perhaps?

You pass a house with two mailboxes, one is spilling with letters and the other is empty.

"Excuse me, who lives here?" you ask a passing monster.

"Sans and Papyrus of course! Haven't seen them lately, I'm afraid."

"The overstuffed mailbox is Sans'?"

The monster shakes their head. "Yes."

"I see, thank you," you answer with a puzzled look.

The monster nods and somersaults away.

The next building is called 'Librarby'. You lower your eyebrows in thought, but you can't understand why they would call it such. You decide to enter and ask the owner.

The smell of books and paper mixing with quiet chatter feels comforting, and you feel yourself warming up quicker than usual. Your cape does a good job protecting you from the cold.

You hear a familiar voice in all the chatter. "got the books you asked for from the surface."

"You did? Thank you, Sans! I might even set up a shelf with human books if you keep these coming," a spectacle wearing monster thanks with all of his heart as he welcomes the books into his hands.

"Sounds like a good idea to me," you greet as you walk up to Sans.

You're hushed with a harsh finger by the monster and you mouth out a sorry.

"Could you perhaps get me some history books next time? Maybe something before the Barrier?" the monster asks Sans after he lowers his finger from his lips.

Sans gives you a look and you shake your head as you shrug your shoulders.

"my friend here isn't aware of any so that might be difficult. i'll see what i can do though."

"Anything is appreciated. Perhaps your human friend has any suggestions?"

"Nothing on the top of my head for the moment, but I'll also keep an eye out. Maybe we can swap? I'd love to read some monster books," you suggest with a smile.

"Oh, then you must try this," the librabrian says and makes his way towards a shelf. He hands you a book.

"I woke up human?" you read out loud.

"A classic, one of the best. It tells the tale of a prince that's turned into a human and is cast out of his castle for being ugly," the librabrian explains.

You skim the back. "Mhm."

"He's forced to go into hiding, since he's so ugly," the librabrian continues.

You nod. "OK."

"But, another human falls down."

"Another ugly human?" you guess.

"yes," Sans nods.

"Well you've sold me," you smile. How sincere it is is up to the librabrian to decide for himself.  "I think I'll plow through it in one go. I'll leave it with you for the moment, if that's OK. I can't carry it now, no bag."

The librabrian takes the book back. "Glad to hear it. You humans have something similar?"

"Oh yeah, plenty, don't you worry," you reassure with a series of nods.

The librabrian's smile grows. "Then consider this a gift. Take care you two, I need to categorize these." The monster enters a side room.

Sans nods for the door. "you hungry?"

You feel your stomach suddenly rumble. "Oh boy, now that you've said it." You put a hand to contain it. "I had a doughnut before, but nothing else after it."

"hopefully you donut die from starvation."

You hold the door for him, reluctantly.

"We're cool about Toriel?" you ask after a couple of steps.

He snickers.

"Cool as in OK, not the weather, jeez."

"nah, we're not ok. see, i'm giving you the cold shoulder."

"Your jacket is in the way," you comment.

The snow crumbles with a satisfying sound as you walk to the building titled Grillby's. Must be a place to eat.

Sans holds the door and invites you to a warmly lit and delicious smelling tavern. A bar with a sharply dressed fire monster behind it waves to you. A monsters puts on a catchy tune on the jukebox, and you follow Sans to a booth.

The fire monster walks up to you and hands you two menus. He readjusts his glasses and produces a pen along with a notebook from his tuxedo. You order a soda and the monster nods. He leaves you to get your drink.

You breathe in through your teeth. "Sans, this might be racist but," you tap your fingers, "it's just that I like my soda cold. Wouldn't he boil it?"

Sans gives you a vicious look and you apologize. The soda is served ice cold and you sink down in shame. Sans orders a plate of fries and ketchup, you take a burger meal.

"Does he cook the food himself?" you ask again.

"yes, it is homemade."

"No, you know, by himself, with himself?"

Another look.

"Sorry..." You return to your soda with a lowered head and keep it lowered until you smell something delicious coming your way. A plate of fries is placed before you and Sans.

"Thank you, Grillby."

He nods and snaps his fingers above your fries leaving a golden crust for you to enjoy. Your burger comes soon after and you thank him again. He makes a couple of sparkles as a response.

"anyway, mettaton's show," Sans starts, causing you to almost choke on a fry. "yeah, it was pretty entertaining, really broke the fourth wall. i should have recorded it."

"If I get my hands on one of those memory boxes I'll gladly share it," you promise as you wipe your mouth.

He lifts the ketchup bottle from his mouth. "memory boxes?"

"Oh, they must be rare then." You swallow. "Gerson has one, lets you see another person's memory."

You look up from your burger to see Sans staring at you with two dark and deep eyes.

"Grillby spit in your fries?" you try to joke. "Wouldn't that just make them hotter? Am I being racist again?"

Sans jumps out of the booth. "i have to make a phone call, excuse me for a moment."

You nod with a stuffed mouth and some salad escapes your bite. It falls gently down on the floor and as you pick it up you feel a cold breeze. "If you're not back in five minutes I'm eating your fries as well," you say out loud to nothing causing some heads to turn your way.

Five minutes pass and your threat becomes empty. After fifteen you decide that it would be a shame to let them go to waste and you save a couple of Sans' fries from drowning in ketchup. Another quarter of an hour passes and you ask the monsters if they could switch the song that they're playing, it's been on repeat ever since you arrived. Ten minutes later you finally decide that you should investigate what Sans is doing.

You lift yourself up only to bump into something metallic. You sit back down and rub your forehead. The sofa creaks as it is quickly filled with armored dogs. They push you into a corner and turn their heads against you.

"Can I help you?" you ask with a shaky voice.

Looks peer at you from narrowed eyes, and two hooded dogs whisper to each other. They then nod to a dog with a fish bone in its mouth and laugh, including a huge dog next to you. Its plate armor bounces heavily as it laughs. You feel yourself getting smaller and smaller. The laughter recedes after a short while and the dog removes its fish bones from its mouth.

"Human," it says.

"Yes," you whimper out.

"You're alone here, right?"

"No, I'm waiting for a friend."

"Sans? Oh human, he won't return, he has bills to pay," the dog snickers, pleased with itself. He reaches down, but what is drawn is not a sword, it's a twig. He tosses it on the table.

"Throw it."

"W-what?" you reply.

He puts his fish bone back in his mouth. "Let's take this outside. Greater Dog?"

You're lifted by the largest dog and carried outside. You can hear Grillby sigh from behind his counter. It sounds like a thick fire blossoming. The dogs take you a bit into the nearby forest, across a long bridge, and set you down on a snowy field. They toss you the stick again and you catch it clumsily.

"Throw it," the dogs demand again.

"L-like this?" you ask as you give the twig some speed.

The dogs take off leaving a huge cloud of powdered snow behind them. You can hear growls and barks through it, and soon the big one returns with the stick in its mouth. A small gust of air hits you in the face as it squats down and gives you the stick. You pet it on the head and throw it again, this time to the other side.

Your cape flaps violently in the turbulence as the dogs run past you in hot pursuit. Another dog, smaller than Greater Dog, comes back with the stick this time. You pet it and its neck extends. You force out a smile and pet it again. The neck grows longer. You decide that you probably know what would happen if you pet it again. The neck flops down on the snowy ground and when you throw the stick a third time the head is dragged along, leaving a deep rift in the snow.

You play for a while longer before one dog remembers that its guard shift starts soon. The other dogs remember as well, and bids you goodbye. They leave you breathing thick clouds in the disturbed snowy landscape, and you decide to head back to Grillby's to see if Sans is there now. As you turn you hear a laughter behind you.

"Sans, there you are, I was beginning to worry. Well, not really, annoyed to be honest. I'm sorry to say this, but I think your fries have drowned in the sea of ketchup you poured over them."

You can see his silhouette through some mist created by a rushing river. It turns around and walks away from the town.

"Sans, where are you going? I was just kidding."

You take after him. Despite you running he seems to always be faster, laughing as you enter hearing distance.

"Sans, please? What are you planning?" you yell at him.

He stops and shrugs his shoulders before moving again.

"Look, I'm sorry about Toriel, OK?"

He stops again for a moment before continuing.

"Do you want me to beg? Come on, you made the choice to lift it, you could have just refused."

More laughter. You feel your face twist with annoyance. A nearby monster is struggling to get some decorations out of its antlers, but you're too bitter to help.

After some close calls where you almost slipped on some ice you enter a long hallway of trees. At the end of the hallway stands a tall door. It is opened slightly, just enough for Sans to get through. You enter it, and proceed down the purple colored corridor. You go up a flight of stairs and find yourself in a very cozy home, it reminds you of somewhere, but you can't really put your finger on it.

"Sans, you in here? I just want to talk, settle things between us. I thought we were cool. Why are you running?"

You hear some laughter coming from outside and you exit the house. The front door leads to a garden that is as dead as Asgore's is alive. Withered plants and dried up leaves litter the ground and in the middle stands an old and crooked tree. You run a finger against it and the bark comes loose. The ground around is dead, drained of color, like someone vacuumed up all the life out of it. There's something covering the ground though. You swipe it with your palm. Dust?

Your thoughts are interrupted by another laughter from Sans. You run out of an opening only to find a fork in the road. You take the left part and end up on a plateau looking over huge city. The silence is deafening though. It is abandoned, no living being in sight. The view makes you feel uncomfortable and you run back to the other road.

Huge pillars stand in seemingly random locations. They're adorned with colorful buttons. You struggle to understand why. Frog like creatures jump around you, but you pay them no mind. One almost trip you, but you dodge it. In your haste you miss a crack in the floor. The ground below you gives way and you tumble down. Luckily your fall is softened by a pile of leafs. A few leafs find their way into your mouth though and you spit them out. Their taste linger on your tongue.

"What was that?" you ask as the adrenaline rush through you.

"Oh, sorry, am I in the way?" you hear a pitiful voice ask you.

You turn around but you can't find the creature the voice belongs to. "What, no I just, hello?"

"It's OK, I was just about to leave," the voice says with fading volume.

"No, I didn't mean, I tripped," you explain to the air.

You stand up to apologize, but you don't get an answer. The room is empty except the pile of leaves and a door. You take it and walk up the stairs behind it. They lead to where you fell down. A loud laughter comments on the leafs on your outfit and you brush them off before continuing.

Some rooms after you come across another cracked floor, but this one shows where the holes are, and you carefully navigate around them as to not fall down again. A couple of minutes later you find a bridge covered in spikes. You walk up to them and tap one with your foot and it sinks down into the ground. It bounces back up as you retract your foot, but its secrets are revealed to you now. You sweep your leg in front of you and follow the path that emerges. When you're on the other side you wonder out loud as to the purpose of all these traps. You shake your head.

Some rooms later you find another door with the Dreemurr insignia on it. You push the door open and see another gloomy garden, No tree though, just dead leaves. You can see a dark shoulder enter another insignia covered gate before you do you rush down a pair of stairs to catch him. A dark corridor gives way to a large hole in the cave ceiling letting moonlight down onto a patch of Golden Flowers. Sans stands in the middle, but you can't really see his face.

You walk down the flight of stairs. "Finally! What is this all about Sans? Traps, pitfalls. Spikes! Are you the prize of this gauntlet you've put me through. If so I hope you can at least accept my apology."

He just laughs.

You reach the ground. "Sans, I'm serious."

"you idiot," his voice berates.

You're ripped up by a vine and left hanging, second time today.

"The fuck are you doing, Sans?" you scream out. "Are you together with Toriel or something? Are you jealous that Gerson shared his memory with me?" You don't get an answer. "Anything! Answer me, you bonehead!"

Roaring laughter echoes through the enormous and hollow cave.

"You know what, if this is your magic, I hope this hurts you," you threaten. You bend up and grab the vine, dragging it down towards your shoulder pad. The spikes cut through the plant, and you lose your air as you land flat on your back. Pained screams replace the laughter, but they sound different.

"You idiot!"

That's not Sans' voice.


	22. Taking care of the flowers

"Alphys and her idiotic inventions," you hear the voice curse.

You catch your breath and stand up to face whomever it is that dons Sans form. The form twists and other vines appear around it. With an uncomfortable speed they're dragged underground with a disturbing sound. Left standing is a flower just barely taller than the others around it. It disappears underground as well, but resurfaces a couple of meters in front of you. "Howdy, I'm Flowey. Flowey the flower. Could you do me a favor and reset? Taking care of these flowers is so boring, but now that you're here I'd like to forget everything. So please, reset."

You flinch back. "What are you talking about?"

The flower grows in size and its smile goes from friendly to horrid in a blink of an eye. Its eyes turns dark and hollow. Vines surround you with ominous purpose, and you see thorns extending towards you.

"Reset!" Flowey screams at you.

"I, uh, I don't really feel like it.? My soul is a bit, um, tired," you guess in a panic.

"Reset or I'll rip out your soul and do it myself!" Flowey screams at you again.

"OK, just relax, I'll reset," you answer.

Just as quick as Flowey grew he now returns to his small form. "Oh, perfect."

"Just, just give me a minute. I need to prepare," you say and sit down.

"Of course, just tell me when you're done. I want you to reset to a specific time if that's all right with you."

You force out a smile. "No problem, I'll tell you when I'm ready." You sit for a while, assessing your situation, looking for a way to escape. You need to get in contact with Sans or Asgore, anyone.

Flowey is also sitting down, rolling his vines while whistling. After a couple of minutes his whistling deteriorates to rasps and finally he sighs. He throws his vines up in the air. "Frisk didn't need this long to reset, are you stupid or what?"

"Frisk had more control over their soul," you guess again, "and now that you've interrupted me I have to restart. Go take care of the flowers or something. Let me focus," you lie.

The flower extends his tongue at you and burrows. You can hear him resurface, but the sound is faint, he must be far away. This is your chance! You spring up on your legs and rush the door. A vine emerges from behind it and closes it. You tackle the door full sprint, but you're thrown back by the recoil.

"I guess being nice only works with monsters. Looks like we have to go with pain instead," Flowey laments unsincerily while bending over your face.

"If I were to say that I only did that because it would help me focus?"

"I would call you an idiot. First thing first, we need to get rid of these." Flowey slashes your shoulder pads off and lifts you up by your armpits. "You really look like an idiot in these clothes."

"If they're not to your liking why don't you just burrow," you suggest with a smug smile. "Better yet, put me down and I'll leave to fetch a different outfit. Who are you, really?"

"You're deaf as well! I'm Flowey, friend of Frisk."

You nod. "Ah, you must be the old acquaintance Sans told me about. Well, I'm Frisk's teacher, and I'm prepared to give you a lesson in discipline if you don't put me down."

"That Smiley Trashbag has rubbed off on you I see." Flowey gives you a wink. "Maybe a little bit too much?"

"Must be lonely here," you retort with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, you have no idea."

You only catch a glimpse of the green razor that is whipped towards you and Flowey laughs as you grunt in pain.

"Oh boy, you really are dumber than Frisk, they dodged my friendliness. You took it like a dunce."

Your breathing becomes heavy as you cope with the pain.

"Are we crying, already? Ha, at least you'll have something in common with Asriel when you meet him."

You spit out the pain. "Eat shit! You're a plant, you will enjoy it!"

Flowey puts a vine on his stem and gasps. "Hey, no harsh language around kids. You're a teacher, you should know." Leafs form over your mouth and you struggle for air. "We calm now? No more swears?"

You nod.

"Well, I want to be on the safe side, so I'll keep you like this for a while."

The leafs keep your voice quiet despite your best attempt.

Flowey shakes a vine in front of your face. "Ah ah, no cursing, remember?" He brings the vine down to your chest. "Now, why don't we try to bring out your soul? It must be so boring being stuck in someone who doesn't know how to use it. Let's give it some fresh air, convince it that it's better off with me."

A white petal is shot out from Flowey and it travels straight for your heart. You manage to throw your body to the side, but the petal still graces you, leaving a pulsating wound. You can feel your blood going down your side, and you scream again.

"Interesting." Flowey shrugs his vines. "Guess I have to dig deeper."

You're brought down and stretched out on the ground on your back. Like a snake, Flowey moves up to you, and positions himself over your chest. You bend your neck down to look at him, and notice that your leg is in reach of his stem. You wrap it around your foot. Flowey doesn't notice.

"Say hi to Asriel for me," he threatens as his face changes form.

You kick your leg up with all your might and uproot him. The vines holding you retract into him, and the leaf around your mouth follows. He hangs a bit in the air before crashing down next to you. You grab him as he tries to awkwardly shuffle away.

"No, wait! I'm Asriel. Please, don't kill me again! I want to see mom and dad," Flowey pleads with another voice. It is desperate and childlike. His face shifts to a young child's that matches his new voice. A pair of watery eyes beg you to release him and a small snout whispers out for help.

You loosen your grip in shock, and the face contorts into a sinister grin. Small roots grip your neck and you feel your wind pipe contract. "Let's see who dies first, shall we? I don't care, I got nothing left. Frisk took it all away from me!"

Your vision turns darker and darker, and you're forced to toss Flowey away from you. His roots free your throat, and you cough violently. Close to you lies a stick that you pick up. You feel like you might need it. Flowey is nowhere to be seen so again you rush the door, but it is still closed shut. You bang your fist on the door. "Just let me out, nothing good can come of this!" You clutch your wound.

"No, I'm tired off not being in charge anymore," you hear Flowey spit back.

"What do you even want with my soul?" you ask, confused.

"Don't you know, I thought it was clear as day. Not that I'd know," Flowey burrows and pops up closer to you. "A soul fused with both human and monster is one of the strongest beings in the world. Your determination combined with mine will overtake Frisk's so that I can reset again."

"Reset what?"

"To my last save, of course. If I can't forget I can at least take control."

You don't understand anything. "Save? Forget?"

"You wouldn't understand!" A vine is thrown against you, but you beat it down with your stick. It crawls back to the dirt where it disappears. "Finally feeling love and happiness, and then have it ripped from you! I was such an idiot! Why did I waste it all on that barrier?"

Another whip takes aim for your legs, it swipes you down but you roll away from it as it tries to grab you.

"You're insane, stop this. We'll figure out a way, Frisk can help."

"Frisk did this to me! Frisk made me waste it all!" Flowey screams back.

"Frisk is nice, they would never hurt a fly without a good reason," you counter.

"You idiot, they didn't hurt me, they saved me."

You pause for a second and Flowey throws a vine against your leg again. You block in the last second, but a thorn hits your thigh. The vine is twisted and the thorn breaks off. Despite it pressing against your muscles you leave it in as to not bleed.

"I felt like I had a soul. I could feel Asriel's happiness," he explains as he prepares another attack.

"How did you waste it?"

Flowey throws another vine at you. "Don't act stupid! You're a human, you made the barrier. Eight souls, seven human and one monster."

You sidestep it. "You, you broke the barrier? That's wonderful, you're a hero."

"I saved a nation of idiots."

You grab an attacking vine in your hand and beat it repeatedly with your stick. The plant convulses with each hit. Another petal hits your arm and rips up another wound. You tear off a piece of your shirt to compress the wound. The broken vine whimpers away.

"Frisk would've hugged it, you're different," Flowey teases with an extended tongue.

"Right now it is you or me, and I'm not taking any chances with you." You roll your shoulder to see how much movement you have left. "You're unstable, desperate, sad. The barrier, what happened? I saw magic and Frisk's footsteps."

"They faced a god! They faced me. I was the most powerful being in the universe," Flowey boasts.

"And you were hugged to death? Not exactly godlike," you scoff out.

Two vines slam into you from both sides and you try to block one with your stick and the other with your arm. The impact leaves it bloody and shaking from the pain.

"I felt happiness! It felt good, and Frisk took it away. They saved me! I cried like a moron, but they didn't want to give me up. We hugged, I felt the warmth of my fur against someone else." You hear echoing sobs. "Then, I broke the barrier."

You readjust your makeshift bandage while you have the chance. "You made the right choice, Flowey. You saved your monster friends, you saved your parents. You did good. You're not evil, just let me go, Asriel."

"Don't call me that!" Vines sprout from every direction, and you barely manage to dodge them all. They hit you, but they don't grab you. They don't have a target. "I'm not that crybaby! He's dead. I'm just made from the dust he left behind. I have his memories, I know how happy he was, but I can't feel it. I can't feel anything good. I've no love, I only feel what he felt when he died."

"You're depressed! I can help, Frisk can help. We'll figure something out," you say through clenched teeth while bandaging your new wounds. You're rapidly running out of cloth.

"Just reset, make me forget all this! Make me forget being happy," Flowey begs angrily.

You shake your head. "I can't, I don't have magic."

"You're human!" Flowey curses at you.

You swipe your hand in the air."Doesn't matter."

"Liar, just like Frisk!"

"What did Frisk do?"

Flowey shrinks."They left me here, left me to feel my emotions drain away."

"Not without a reason."

"I told them to go, to live their life. I knew that it was just a matter of time before I turned back." Flowey turns away from you. "The pain, it hurt so bad. I screamed, I cried, but no one came. I felt my emotions drain away and be replaced by void. I threw up, I cried after mom, after dad, after Chara." You feel the ground below you starting to shake. "But no one came!"

Huge spires of green emerge violently from the ground creating a forest of sharp thorns. The thorns expand and start vibrating. You throw yourself on the ground just in time as the air above is filled with thousands of spears cutting through each other and the spires. They begin to fall down, and you scramble on your knees before throwing yourself away from one closing in on you. It lands with a deafening thud.

"Asriel, Frisk did everything they could. You can't ask for more," you remind him.

"They left me alone!" he shouts back.

"You asked them to. You didn't want them to see you return to this, you wanted them to remember you as Asriel, not Flowey."

"Asriel is dead, he's not coming back. I'm him, but I'm not."

You relax your pose. "Just let him take over, maybe you could feel happy again?"

"It's not how that works. I need a soul."

You try to catch your breath. "We can find you a soul! Alphys is smart, she can figure out a way."

The sobs stop and are replaced by an uncomfortable laugh. "Alphys?" Flowey sprouts up just outside the paved road. He twists his face into Alphys'.

"A-alphys is the on-ne that m-made me," you hear him say with Alphys' voice. "The f-fat nerd t-thought she could impress As-sgore. I was j-just another experim-ment, another Am-malgamat-te. Why d-did I l-live?" His face melts leaving just her glasses hanging on an unrecognizable form.

"She probably had good intentions, she is a scientist and accidents happens," you try to keep your voice steady, but you can hear it clearly shake.

"S-she was just follow-wing orders, the real villain here is As-sgore."

The residue of Alphys is morphed into Asgore's visage. You almost throw up watching the process.

"Golly, look at me, I'm Asgore! I can't get over my children dying and my old hag leaving me. How about I tell this mentally unstable monster to inject my subjects with the very essence that killed my kids. Golly, that didn't work. Oh well, she'll just seal them down in the True Lab. No biggie!."

You spit out your sick. "You, he."

"Oh, golly, look, humans are falling down. I'll just kill them and destroy the barrier instead."

"Asgore did what?" you yell out.

Flowey's face returns to normal, if you call can it that. "He didn't tell you? Well, I'm not really surprised. You're a nobody, you just stumbled into their life."

"Toriel employed me, she wants me to teach the monster kids," you retort.

"She's too nice for her own good, just like Frisk. She saw another of her children and had to take care of it. You know how many of her quote unquote children are still alive? Two! You, and Frisk. The rest? Those that are more than just two? Dead."

A pair of motherly eyes replace Flowey's, but they're quickly crossed. "My child, look at me, my child! I'm Toriel, my child. I try to kill kids, my child. Instead of helping my degenerate king, my child, I leave him, my child. Trying to fill the void I created, my child, I hold fallen humans hostage until they prove themselves in my trial of fire, my child."

You can't listen anymore and you swing your stick towards Flowey. He smiles as Toriel and ducks underground. You quickly back up as vines try to grab you from the dirt.

"Are we having feelings for her? She's my mother. I don't give you permission," you hear him tease you outside of your vision.

"No feelings. I just hate bad imitations," you shout back.

You can see the shape of Toriel forming in the distance. It bends itself to show off its buxom form and beckons you to come to it with a seductive finger.

"Embrace me with your humanity, my child," you hear it say with a seductive voice.

You feel, something, but you quickly shut it away. Flowey notices and makes Toriel do a rude gesture before crumpling in pain.

"You love her," Flowey says with a condescending voice.

"If you think so I'll gladly pluck your petals to see if she really does," you growl out.

"You're tough all over a sudden? Just like?"

A vine shaped like a spear whistles pass your ear.

"Undyne? Punk, you think you can defeat the leader of the Royal Guard. NGAAH, I'm the toughest monster in the Underground, but I lack the strength to lift a finger against my king. I kill children without asking, like a good soldier, and I'm praised for it," Flowey winks at you again with Undyne's face. "I also only love Alphys because of her tail."

"No, enough! You know nothing about them! Despite their flaws they are still good people! Just like you and me, Asriel," you snarl back.

"Don't!"

You swipe a petal out of the air. "The Underground was their prison, and now that they're on the surface they're turning over a new chapter, a new life. I'll not sit idly by to see you try to destroy it, even if you use my soul. I'll fight every second, every breath you take with my essence. Their friendship opened up a new chapter for me as well, and I'll be damned if I let you destroy it."

Flowey moves closer to you. "They are murderers and liars! They have blood on their hands, human blood."

"I'll be the judge of that. Now let me go and I'll forget all of this. Last chance."

Flowey bursts out in laughter. "You, be the judge of monsters that you've know for what, a week? I've known them for far longer then you could ever imagine. They are the scum of the earth and should have stayed here in the Underground."

You raise an eyebrow. "With you?"

Flowey flinches. "They...they are."

The vines around you retract.

"You can't leave can you? Not without help, not without a soul."

"I can leave whenever I want!" Flowey spits back.

"Then follow me back up. We'll fix you, Asriel, we'll help you," you promise while looking in his eyes.

Flowey shakes his head. "I can't."

"I have a spare pot, don't worry," you propose with a smile

"No, I can't!" The air around you seems calmer and the vines slink back into the ground. "Somebody needs to take care of these flowers," he says with his head hunched over.

You squat down. "I'll take care of the flowers for you. Asgore is building another laboratory, humans and monsters will be working together. Just tell the truth and he'll get right to it. Science and magic, we will find a way."

"I was created by science and magic."

You scoff. "Just magic technically. Science is, you know what, I'll tell you when you get up there."

The sobs return. "D-don't tell Toriel who I am, or Asgore, or anyone. They can't know."

You nod carefully. "My lips are sealed. Just let me go. I'll come back for you, with Frisk."

You hear the door behind you relax and you bolt up the stairs for it. You fling it open and take a step outside. The ground under you sounds different after just a couple of footsteps. Dirt! Two vines burst up from the ground. They grab your ankles, and you fall over. The stick bounces out of your reach. You still try to reach for it, but Flowey surfaces just before your face.

"Just like Frisk," he smiles with a mixture of all of his faces.

You're dragged back behind the door.

"We made a deal, I'll take you to the Surface, I promise," you yell as you struggle to break free.

Flowey shakes his head. "Just like Frisk." He throws you onto the bed of Golden Flowers and stretches you out for a second time. He slices you and you scream. He stabs you and you wail. He maims you and you cry for help.

"Your soul is persistent, your determination must tower over Frisk'! I'll make good use of it."

"Please," you whimper out.

"Guess I forgot to tell you." Flowey brushes a bloody lock of hair out of your eyes and looks deep into them. "In this world it is kill or be killed."

He thrusts a sharp vine towards your heart and you close your eyes. Screams fill the cavern, but they're not yours. With your last strength you force your eyelids open to see Flowey caressing a smoldering vine. He drops you and tunnels back into the dirt.

The thorns Flowey stabbed you with dig deeper into your flesh when you land. You lose your breath from the impact. You struggle to turn yourself against your savior.

"Asgore, help," you plead.

"No! Not again!" you hear him cry out. He makes short work of the distance between you. "Don't worry, human, I'll get you to safety!" He turns around. "Call your human doctors, tell them to meet us at the foot of the mountain," he commands.

You can hear human voices speaking, but you can't see them, your vision is blurry.

"Asgore, he," you try to explain.

He squeezes your head gently. "No, don't say anything, save your strength." You can hear a robotic voice for a second before Asgore speaks again. "Papyrus, get your other car and drive to the Ruins! Have Undyne clear a path to the Barrier, the human is in critical condition!"

You feel cold.

You hear Papyrus confirming the order and then an engine starting through the phone. "Human, stay with me. Papyrus is on his way, we'll get you to a human hospital. Your soul doesn't respond, I can't heal you."

"I don't feel anything."

Darkness envelops you.


	23. Days passing by

"Cause of injury?"

You feel that you're moving and through tired eyes you see silhouettes of multiple people moving with you.

"Classified."

A bump sends pain through your entire body, but you don't have enough strength to address it.

"Thorns don't grow that big. Not here, not anywhere. This is nothing I've ever seen. Is this magic?"

Something foreign enters your wrist and you feel pressure inside it.

"Will anything happen to their survival chance if I say that they fell into a very sharp bush?"

You feel comforting warmth spread out around your body from your arm.

"No, we'll do everything we can, ma'am. Prepare an OR!"

You let the warmth sweep you away.

"They're not stable and I strongly advise against waking them!" you hear an angry voice yell.

A door is closed and you hear a plastic bag rustle. Like a bucket of ice over your head you jolt up from the shock. You feel a rib crack and you try to clutch it, but you can't move your arm as it is firmly locked inside a cast. A hand grips your jaw and turns it towards a man in a black suit. He stares at you.

"Was there any talk about any dead humans down in the Underground?" he asks.

"I don't know! I don't remember," you cry as you try to navigate the haze that is your memory.

You throw up from the pain that screams inside you and the man is forced to dodge it. He nods to someone behind you and you hear another rustle. The haze disappears violently and your head starts spinning.

"That should have given you some motivation. Let's try again."

The memory comes rushing towards your mouth. You try to keep quiet, but you can't stand this pain! "Yes!" you answer.

The man nods again, but this time towards you, "Thank you, go back to sleep."

You feel another wave of pressure in your wrist. With your last strength you try and fight it.

"Why?" you whisper out.

"No reason, just want to be safe, that's all," he says as he nods again.

The wave that enters you hits like a tsunami and you're swept away.

"Toriel, you don't have to sit here, the doctors are taking good care of them. You have to trust them."

"I know, Asgore, but if I may, I'd like to be here when they wake up. I want them to see a familiar face. They need one right now."

You feel warm fur brushing against your cheek.

"My child, what did he do to you?"

You feel a drop of liquid hit your arm.

"The doctors told us not to touch them, Toriel. Our fur, it could get stuck and disrupt their healing, something called bacteria."

The hand is removed and you grunt in protest. Put it back! Please!

"Yes, I know. I just...I want to help them."

"So do I, Toriel, but the best way is to let the doctors do their work."

A couple of seconds pass and the only thing you hear is rhythmical beeping.

"Sans said that Frisk was hungry, do you want anything as well?"

"I don't know, something."

You feel a comforting hand grasp yours.

"It's OK, dear...Toriel."

A small gust of air hits your face as the door closes. You try to grab Toriel's hand, but you're too exhausted. No! No. No... You lose consciousness.

You're turned to one side and you moan as weight is put on your arm. Something wet is applied to your back. You hear muffled voices.

"Doctor, would you please explain to the gentlemen the side effects of the medicine you're administrating?"

"We don't have time for this," argues an annoyed voice.

"A failure to plan on your part does not induce a rush on my part. Doctor, please."

"The medicine can, in rare cases, cause lack of appetite, hair loss, numbness and depression," you hear a third voice explain.

"And if my memory serves me right, depression can manifest in false memory or similar?"

"In rare cases, yes."

"So we can conclude that anything said from an individual that undergoes regular injections is not to be trustworthy? That what they say wouldn't hold up in court?"

"Again, in rare cases."

"Well, this is a rare case if I've ever seen one, or else the gentlemen wouldn't be here now, would he? Now off with you, family visits only."

You hear a door open and heated arguments sneaks through before it's closed. The argument is still present, but the voices are too muffled to make out any words.

"I can't imagine the sums that lawyer must be cashing in, but he's worth every penny. Did you hear that? Silver tongue if I ever heard one."

The hand on your back stop and you feel it shake.

"Oh, they're awake. Anything unusual?"

"No, nothing since yesterday," you hear the person behind you say.

"Good, I'll fetch us some coffee. Give them another dose."

Your hand twitches as your wrist react to the fluid flowing into you. You feel your strength leave you, and your eyelids fall shut.

"S-so there's m-millions of tiny c-creatures on me?"

"In a nutshell, yes. Not all are dangerous, in fact, we humans have more bacteria than cells of our own. We live in symbiosis. You've lived for some time down in an area we humans have not acclimated to. I mean, we would probably have no problem living there, but if you're as weak as they are." The voice pauses. "We just don't want to risk an infection, you can be in the same room, but no touching for now."

"T-thank you doctor, y-your human science is fascinating."

"Any time, call me if something happens."

You hear a door close.

"NGAH, why can't we just heal them? They will be back up in no time. I want to help them teach again."

"Their soul is not responding, nothing we can do."

"What about Frisk? We could heal Frisk. They just need to, I don't know, express their determination. Maybe if they-"

"Undyne, it's OK."

"No, Asgore, it's not! They almost died by that freak of nature! I should-"

You can hear cracks and sparks.

"U-Und-dy, n-no spears."

The violent sounds disperse.

"Sorry, Alphee. I, I just don't want to see them like this."

"N-none of us want."

You try to raise a hand to tell them that you're OK. but the effort drains everything from you. You feel a tear going down your cheek before you fall asleep.

"Morning, did we get some sleep?" your doctor asks.

You nod.

"Great, you're not showing any severe symptoms of withdrawal, just what I like to hear. And hey, less work for me. Win win, right?" He gives you a wink and you return a smile.

A head peeks inside. "The, um, government is here," it says.

Your doctor sighs and excuses himself. He closes the door behind him. A gust of wind rattles the curtains shortly after, and you hear snores from besides you. You turn your head to see Sans sleeping on a chair next to you.

"been a while, hasn't it? good to see you awake," he says as he wakes up.

You nod.

He scratches his head. "man, i'm sorry i left you. if i would've known that flowey was there, waiting."

You look him in the eye holes and shake your head.

"thank you. it means a lot."

You nod again.

"oh, before i forget, mettaton called. he wanted to do another show with you."

You widen your eyes.

"don't worry, radentim said no in your place."

The beeps on your heart monitor slows down to a normal rhythm.

He points over your shoulder. "what is that machine?"

You turn to see which machine he was talking about, and when you're halfway you feel another breeze. When you turn your head back Sans is gone, and a book and a note is in his place.

You pick up the book and lower your eyebrows when you see which one it is. The note is from the librabrian. "Reading is good for the soul, get well soon," it reads.

You open the first chapter.

"Once upon a time there was an ugly human." it begins.

You manage two chapters before falling asleep.

"OK, I want you to give me a sharp C," your doctor requests.

You wheeze as you laugh at the request.

"OK, a clean A then."

Your vocal chords hurt but you manage you produce an A.

He removes his flashlight from your mouth. "Good, let's give your throat a rest. Drink some water. I'll get this tube out of your sight. You must be tired of looking at it."

"Thank you," you say with some effort.

"Don't overdo it."

The door is slammed open and a group of suited individuals enter your room. You look at your doctor to see him staring down the intruders.

"You have no right to be in here, leave at once!" he commands them.

"Doctor, we have a warrant for your arrest," they inform coldly.

He takes a step forward. "On what grounds?"

"Malpractice, details will be expanded upon later. Please follow us."

A woman cuffs your doctor and escorts him outside. A man nods to the others and they extend the blinders over the glass wall. "Now, finally some time alone with you." He takes a seat nest to you. "Tell us everything."

You point to your throat and shrug your shoulders.

"Don't lie to us, we have a strict schedule."

You take a mouthful of water. "A failure to plan on your part does not induce a rush on my part," you respond with your raspy voice.

"So, you heard that? We only want to know if the monsters are dangerous, you know? If they see us as weak they might retaliate against us. Start a war." He takes you hand in his. "You wouldn't want war with them, would you? You'd be out of a job."

You freeze up.

The man smirks. "Of course we know that you work for them. Don't be naive. You have classes in one, if not the, most notable buildings in your town." The suit produces a paper from his...suit. "The monsters even applied for a permit. We have their signatures. This was not some covert guerrilla education, it was a legit school." He points to the bottom of the page. "It even has a name, 'Above School'." The suit slides the paper back inside his suit. "Now they're in full swing with erecting a laboratory! We just want to know if there is anything that might spark an investigation."

You open your mouth to speak but before you can, the door is thrust wide open. A grown up version of Monster Kid steps in with a red forehead.

"Gentlemen, is there anyone who would like to explain to me why my client is being dragged away without his lawyer with accusations that dance in the fields of ludicrousness?" the yellow monsters asks to the room. He doesn't get an answer. "While you're on the road to clarification could you also tell me why you've ignored not only monster, but human law as well, by stepping foot in this room?"

The monster bends down and takes his briefcase from his tail into his mouth. He opens it with a tooth, and scours through the papers with his tongue. He bites one and presents it to the baffled group of suits. "Court order," he says with a muffled voice.

The paper is removed from his mouth by an unwilling hand.

"Anyone that wishes to meet with my client is to go through the Royal Guard. Call me a betting beast, but I don't think you're on that list. Please leave."

The suits read through the paper slowly. Your lawyer is tapping his foot. After a couple of minutes his patience runs dry, and he bumps his shoulder to his ear. "Undyne, please report to me. I have some unruly guests I need removed."

You hear a pleased yell and footsteps getting louder. Undyne slides in through the door. She has a set of purple armor donned with the Dreemurr crest and a blue spear in one hand. "Punks, by the power bestowed upon me as the leader of the Royal Guard I give you this one warning before I bundle you up and roll you out like a ball of human spaghetti!" She sends more energy to her spear and it grows. "And I warn you, I haven't eaten since breakfast."

The suits scramble for the door and leave quickly.

"Could you also halt the people dragging away the good doctor?" your apparent lawyer asks Undyne. "Tell them that he will be more than happy to follow them once he's accompanied with his lawyer."

Undyne salutes and rushes down the corridor with her spear in hand. You hear yelling shortly after.

The door is closed with a gentle shoulder. "So, you must be my son's human science teacher. I've heard much about, seen much as well," your lawyer says as he sits down next to you.

"Yeah, I am," you cough and extend your arm for your water. A tail is wrapped around it and brings the glass closer to you. You take it with a questioning look on your face.

"I have no problem using my tail. The court order was just for shock effect," your lawyer explains with a smile. "I wanted them to force my hand and summon Undyne. I reckoned it would get my point across better if I proved that my threats weren't empty."

You nod and take a sip of water. A question you've been thinking about for a while comes back and you make a falling motion with your hand.

"No, not when we're adults. MK's tail will improve his balance when he gets older, but for now." Your lawyer shakes his head. "Just make sure that the kids don't bully him for it. He doesn't seem to mind, but I'm his dad, I have to worry."

You nod.

"Anyway, I look forward having you as a client. Might get as exciting as that one time Mettaton hired me!" Your lawyer laughs and shake his head. "Ho boy, power corrupts in more ways than one, let me tell you that." He dives back into his briefcase and surfaces with a card in his mouth. "If you have any questions feel free to give me a call."

You glance at his tail.

"You ever tried to wrap your tail around something this flimsy?" your lawyer asks through his teeth.

You shake your head and take the card.

"Perfect! If there's nothing else on your mind at the moment I need to tend to my other client."

You smile and extend your hand to meet his. It hangs in the air for a second before you realize. He gives you an eyebrow and stands up.

"Until next time, human," he wishes with an understanding nod.

You wave goodbye and turn to your IV drip. Unfortunately you can't up your dose, so you have to face the reality that you're gonna remember your blunder. You return to your book.

"Chapter 3: Exiled! The ugly human, that is."

You blow air through you lips and decide to try to get some rest instead.

You hear plastic rustle, but it's probably just a nurse, you try to get back to sleep. The rustle doesn't stop, but you keep your eyes closed. You also hear some whispering, but that's normal. What's not normal is the footsteps trying poorly to sneak up on you. You open one eye.

"THE HUMAN IS AWAKE!"

You jolt up and a machine starts beeping. A nurse comes rushing in and almost bumps with Papyrus as he steps away from your bed. The nurse concludes that nothing is wrong and leave while muttering angrily. You turn your head to the other corner of the room. Balloons and present are stacked on top of each other.

"Happy birthday!" you hear a group of voices congratulate.

The room becomes crowded as your guests fill it with song and cheers. Toriel walks up to you and gives you a warm hug. "My child, I've missed you so much. I'm so happy to see you awake."

You feel something wet hit your shoulder and return the hug despite it hurting quite a bit. "I've missed you all too," you reply.

So long... It's been so long.

Toriel stands up but leaves her hand hanging on your cheek for a second. Frisk comes up to you on the other side of the bed and hands you a freshly baked pie.

"You made this?" you ask them.

Frisk nods.

"We'll eat it later. You have some presents to open first," Asgore takes voice from across the room. He motions to a corner where a small pile of presents are stacked up high.

Alphys, Papyrus, Undyne and Frisk run towards the pile of presents and dump them on your bed. A couple hit your legs and you have to fight to not show the pain.

"Alphee's and mine first!" Undyne yells.

A brightly colored package with kittens in different costumes is brought before you. You open it and pull out a statue of a cat wielding a sword. You place it in your hand and it shifts its stand. "This area is now under the protection of MewMew Martial Artist," it declares loudly while raising its sword.

"Wow, cool. Thank you."

You place it on the night stand next to you. It bows and sheets its sword.

"MY TURN!"

Papyrus' present is stained with sauce, and inside there's a picture frame containing a picture of him smiling while posing. Beside it is a plate of spaghetti.

"Thank you, Papyrus. I'll eat it later if it's OK with you."

"YES, IT'LL TASTE BETTER THEN!"

You place the picture and the plate on the drawer next to your bed.

"I guess it is our turn now, Frisk," Toriel says.

Frisk nods and gives you a beautifully wrapped box. You feel a bit sad that you need to open it. The box contains a purple sweater with the Dreemurr insignia on it.

You turn it around with your jaw on the floor. "This is- Thank you so much."

"We made it by hand, right, Frisk?"

Frisk nods.

"Where did you get my size? Did you break into my house again?" You snap your fingers. "Wait, let me guess, Radentim?"

Sans hands you a loosely wrapped bottle. "yup."

The paper falls off by itself when you take it to reveal a vintage bottle of ketchup. "the best ketchup in all the underground. take it from me."

"I'll treasure it dearly and with your brother's spaghetti I'll be catching up anytime now," you smile out.

You hear both snickering and grumblings.

"Asgore, w-where is your p-present?"

He stands up from his chair. It squeaks. "I've already given it, the best human medicine and the best monster lawyer."

"Thank you, Asgore. From the bottom of my heart," you thank with utmost sincerity in your voice. It clears up quite a bit.

"And from us as well," Toriel adds.

He nods while smiling. "Could I get a moment alone with them? Just a formality our lawyer wanted to clear up."

"Why can't we stay?" Toriel asks.

"This matter is between us three, unfortunately. ML insisted. Please? It will just be a minute."

Toriel nods and shuffles the rest out of the door. Asgore closes the door and the blinds. He takes a chair, and sits down next to you. You hear a loud complaint from it.

"Human, what have you said to your officials? I'm not judging, I just need to know."

"Funny, they said the same thing," you remember.

"And what did you tell them?"

"Nothing."

He nods. "You sure?"

"There's something...but I don't know if it's real or not. It is just a blur in my head."

Asgore leans forwards on his hands. "Go on."

"They forced me awake, I think. They asked me whether or not there was any talk about dead humans."

"What did you answer?"

"I couldn't help it! I felt sick, it hurt! Everything hurt. I just wanted to get back to sleep. The pain was...I thought I was back with Flowey. I-"

Asgore puts a gentle and warm hand on your shoulder. "Human, Flowey is not here, you're safe. Look at me."

His eyes fill you with calm and his smile numbs the pain you remember.

"What did you say?" he asks again, softly.

You look down on your exhausted body. It combined with your birthday indicates one thing, you've been here for a very long time. You lift a very skinny arm, it is covered with bandages and tubes.

"I said yes."

He acknowledges the information with a faint hum. You look at him with pleading eyes. He smiles. "You have no reason to feel guilty. If there's anyone you should be mad about, it is Flowey."

You nod weakly. "I'm tired."

He motions for the window leading to the hallway. "Do you have enough strength to say goodbye to them?"

"I think so."

He opens the blinders and the door. Undyne and Papyrus have their cheeks pressed against the glass. Asgore narrows his eyes and they jump back away from it.

"The human is a bit tired, but they would like to say goodbye. Come in."

They all enter.

"I didn't want to tell you this now, I wanted it to be surprise. I'm gonna oversee your rehabilitation," Undyne says proudly.

You give her a tired thumbs up. "I look forward to it. Finally you get to whip me in shape."

She flashes you a smile. "Get well soon, human."

"Will do," you promise with an exhausted voice.

"The kids miss you," Toriel says.

"I miss them as well. I promise to get back to teaching as soon as I can."

You pat Frisk on the head. A yawn surprises you, and Toriel nods to the others. They wave goodbye and leave you alone in your hospital room.

The silence that follows is deafening, and when you're sure that they're out of hearing distance you lift your hands up. You make a fist and it takes some effort. They fall heavily on your bed and even though your energy is nowhere to be found, you start to weep.


	24. What doesn't kill you

"Focus, visualize. Your foot is gonna make the very core of the earth shake! Stomp that training mat like you would that weed Flowey."

Undyne's excitement eclipse even yours as you lift yourself up with the help of two handlebars and slowly put weight on one foot. She squats down and starts screaming encouragements at your ankle. "You were made to carry the weight of this awesome human! Breaktime is over, you've had your rest! Time to work!" 

A joint pops and she freezes with a quiet no.

You assure her that it didn't hurt.

"You positive?" she asks while putting out a careful hand. "One hundred percent? Let's not push it if you're feeling something."

You spin your ankle carefully. "Yes, it's fine."

"Then why did you stop? Keep going!" she says with a huge smile.

Your knee makes a weak protest as you lean more forward, but you feel that it will hold. You lift your other leg and feel your thigh strain.

"You're the best! The coolest! Just one more step!"

Pain starts creeping up, and you feel your breathing becoming sharp. You carefully lower the other leg and distribute weight onto it. You laugh in relief.

"Hahaha, suck it Flowey, the human lives! You did your worst, but the human walks again. You better stay hidden."

She stands up and raises a hand. You lift up your closest to slap it, but your legs give in from the lack of support, and you fall down.

"No!" you scream out in panic.

Undyne catches you carefully. Your cheek scratches against her scales and you grunt from the friction.

"That was a bit greedy. Sorry." Undyne flashes you a smile, but you look down at your legs. "Hey, don't sweat it. You're making huge progress, but that was greedy. If I hadn't caught you." Undyne snaps her fingers. "Bang, twice the rehabilitation, at the vert least. Let's not think of that though."

She places you in your wheelchair and walks around it.

"Lunch?" she wonders as she bends over the chair.

You swat a tuft of red hair from your face. "If you don't mind."

She whips her head back up. "Always in the mood for food."

You snicker as you hear her grumble at her own pun. Undyne mutters angrily to herself as she wheels you out of the room.

"Is Alphys OK with being my substitute teacher? I mean, she has other classes to tend to as well, right?" you ask while being wheeled down the hallway.

"She's fine. We finished the last episode of MewMew a week ago so she needs something to occupy her mind with."

"Was it a good episode?"

You hear Undyne's lungs fill with air, and brace yourself.

"It was the best! He used his soulattack, but because he like, mixed it with his sword it became a huge purple dragon. It clashed with the red tiger and there were so many explosions of magic. Like when Frisk fought. So cool! Then his dragon vanished and he had to dodge the tiger like," Undyne pushes your wheelchair from side to side while making sound effects with her mouth. "You have to start watching it! Then when the next season comes we can watch it together."

You give her a thumbs up. "Sure."

You summon an elevator while Undyne reenacts the battle with her hand and mouth. After a while it reaches your floor. Undyne moves you to the side so that the people inside can leave. They thank her and she gives them a smile. She then rolls you in and you request the proper floor from the button panel.

"You know what's on the menu?" she asks you after she hears her stomach rumbling.

"Fish...Um, I mean, uh, fryish meat," you try to save.

"Fryish?"

"Yeah, but it is an acquired taste. I wouldn't recommend the hospital's," you lie.

She holds out her tongue. "Yuck. Anything else?"

"Lasagna, something vegetarian, pancakes, and meat with something, don't remember exactly what."

The elevator beeps.

"Sounds good," she nods.

The queue moves rapidly and you and Undyne buy your food in a matter of minutes. You manage to divert her attention from the fish, but only barely. Undyne seats you at the window with a view towards Mt. Ebott. She sits for a while with her head turned towards the window.

"Didn't you say that you were hungry?" you wonder with your mouth half full, and with your fork pointing towards her plate.

She turns back her head to reveal a tear in her eye. You look out the window and see Mt. Ebott standing proudly in the midday sun. In the reflection you also see people staring at you and Undyne. You turn your head to force the other to turn their eyes to their own food.

"You've dreamed about this, right? Seeing the mountain from the outside?" you ask Undyne.

She nods.

"How about we go hiking on the other mountain once I'm back? You can catch a great view of Mt. Ebott once the sun sets."

"Can I do squats on the way up?"

"Absolutely. I'll join you."

You clean your teeth with your tongue before you give her a smile. She returns it and starts with her food. Threats and insults against the food turns some heads, but you again counter them. She finishes her food just before you and leans back with a toothpick in her smile.

"Your human spices makes it feel like there's a ravaging battle in my mouth. I love it!"

"Mine was a bit tasteless," you frown.

"Sad to hear that. Dessert?"

"My doctor wouldn't recommend it, but I could go for something sweet."

She nods and leaves for the dessert area. You can see plenty of heads turning as she passes them.

The heads start whispering as she fiddles with the coffee machine, but they stop when she starts making her way back to you. One head leans low and returns up to give you a wink and a thumbs up. You raise an eyebrow at them.

"Grab my buns, will you?" Undyne asks of you as she comes back.

"What?"

She bounces her hot buns and you take some and put them on your plate.

"Cardamom rolls?"

"Toriel always bakes with cinnamon and butterscotch, right?" Undyne stirs her coffee with loud clanks while easing herself down into her chair. "So I thought that some variety could be good for your taste buds."

"I thought there was only plastic spoons?" you ask, indicating towards her coffee cup.

She lifts up a small spear. "It keeps the coffee warm and I don't have to wash it."

"Pretty handy," you say with a nod.

"Sure is."

Undyne and you spend some time just looking at Mt. Ebott.

"Isn't this just crazy?" you finally say.

She snickers. "What part, exactly? Gotta be specific here."

"The part where I'm sitting here, with a monster, and I'm not afraid. Been some pretty interesting weeks."

She nods. "Could say the same."

"Despite this." You wave with your bandaged arm. "I'm still happy you guys resurfaced."

Undyne makes a fist. "If I ever see that weed again I'm gonna make salad out of him."

"Serve him to me with some dressing afterwards will you?"

She grins. "You bet."

A few more nice moments of you and Undyne watching Mt. Ebott in silence passes before Undyne finishes her coffee. "Let's go, human." You take a pastry for the way back. When you get back to your room Undyne helps you back into your bed.

"I'll be back tomorrow for another session," she reminds before waving goodbye.

"I'll be, here," you smile sarcastically.

"Not for long, I promise you."

You nod and she leaves you, alone, again. You close your eyes to try to make the day go faster. It doesn't. Neither do the next.

Or the next.

Or the next.

Or the next...

Finally, after what feels like an eternity.

"No, Frisk. Bend your knees. A bit further up with your hand. Feel the weight transfer to your wrist. Now twirl it."

You yawn away the sleep and open the blinds to see Frisk and Undyne fighting with two metal rods, the hilts of which looks familiar. You reach over and throw your book on the window pane, interrupting their session with the loud impact. Undyne quickly disarms Frisk and smiles at you. They both enter with blushes on their faces.

You point at the rods. "Are those my?"

"Crutches, yes," Undyne answers while twirling them between her fingers.

"My dented crutches," you correct.

"You were asleep and we became bored," she explains.

You swing your legs over the edge of your bed and take your crutches. They still work, despite Undyne and Frisk's best efforts, and you take a few steps. As you turn around to walk back to your bed Undyne scoops you up in your wheelchair.

"Your doctor said that you can walk once you're out of the hospital! Until then..."

You roll your eyes. "I guess five minutes isn't so bad considering how much time I've spent here."

Frisk tugs your arm and you turn your head to see them stretching out for you. You pick them up and place them, carefully, on your knees. They spot and dry a tear off from your cheek. You laugh and ruffle their hair.

"Get me home, Undyne," you ask with an unsteady voice.

"Papyrus is waiting! Let's go."

You meet your doctor in the hallway and shake his hand. "Thank you, doctor, for everything."

"Asgore has thanked me well enough. Glad to see you healthy," he reassures.

"Glad to be healthy."

He laughs and wishes you luck before entering his office. A few seconds later you reach the elevator at the end of the corridor. You let Frisk push the button to summon the elevator. With every floor that passes you feel yourself getting more and more excited. You've been here for a very long time, and to know that you're finally coming home makes another tear form. You wipe it away before either Frisk or Undyne notices.

"HUMAN! YOU ARE WALKING! THIS IS TRULY A MOMENTOUS DAY!"

You awkwardly seat yourself in the front seat. "Is this the same car that stole me from Mettaton's show?"

"Saved, we saved you. Asgore's order," Undyne corrects from the backseat.

You turn around to face her. "Saved me? I wasn't in danger, not really."

"Yeah, because we saved you. I had to subdue that dense dishwasher in front of a live audience, was fun."

You shrug your shoulders and Papyrus ignites the engine.

"The engine sounds, different," you comment.

"ALPHYS MADE THE REPAIRS!"

"Catchy tune, but is it legal?"

He puts a suction cup on a pair of sunglasses and presses them against his forehead.

"NO IDEA!"

The wheels scream as Papyrus whips the car around and slams in the first gear. You're on the road in a matter of seconds, and you lean back to enjoy the sunshine. You've missed the warmth of the sun dancing on your face. Now you feel like you understand Undyne's happiness, at least a little bit.

Your home.

You've missed it. The smell, the color, the...memories. Frisk holds the door open for you, and you thank them. Papyrus and Undyne follows closely behind you with your luggage. Papyrus runs upstairs while Undyne does squats on every step. You follow them, slowly.

"You don't have to help," Undyne assures as you make it upstairs.

"Yes I do, otherwise you'll just use my shower again."

She throws your bags inside the bedroom while glancing at the bathroom door. You shake your head. She takes a step towards it.

"You'll regret it," you threaten.

"Who's gonna stop me? You?" she laughs while walking nonchalantly towards the door.

"No, him."

Papyrus flings open the door. It barely misses Undyne's face.

"NO SHOWERS, UNDYNE! HUMAN'S ORDER!"

You shift your balance to your elbows and cross your arms. She smiles back.

"Papyrus, I'm your leader, and I demand the use of the shower."

You shift your eyes to Papyrus.

"IT'S THE HUMAN'S HOUSE! HUMAN LAW APPLIES HERE!"

"So unless you plan to annex my property in the name of the Underground you have to ask nicely from now on," you add.

She bends over as she guffaws. "When did you plan all this?" she asks.

"I've had plenty of time to think. Helped me stay sane."

Undyne offers her closed fist. "You're awesome, you know that?"

You bump it. "Of course I do, and that's why I'm going to allow you the use of my shower."

She tries to enter the bathroom but Papyrus puts an arm in front of her.

"After we're done with my bags."

Papyrus lifts her up and carries her into your bedroom. You limp in behind them, but stop at the doorstep.

"Why is everything clean? There should be dust everywhere. I haven't been here in ages."

"WE CLEANED IT!"

"When?"

"EVERY WEEK!"

You furrow your brow. "How did you get inside?"

"great question," Sans quips.

You tilt your head down towards him. "And I expect a great answer."

"you left the door open and we found a spare key."

You scoff. "Of course I did."

"DON'T BE AFRAID, HUMAN! I'VE MADE A NOTE SO THAT YOU CAN REMEMBER TO LOCK YOUR DOOR! I WOULD RECOMMEND YOU READ IT THROUGH CAREFULLY SO THAT YOU DON'T GET UNWELCOMED VISITORS! THE NOTE IS IN YOUR BAG!"

He digs through one and picks up the MewMew statue. It is holding a shredded piece of paper. The statue proclaims its victory and sheets its blade.

"NYAH, HOW WILL THE HUMAN REMEMBER NOW?"

"I'll manage, somehow," you hope.

"by the way, you have someone waiting for you in your shed," Sans notes.

"Let's shed some light over who it is then."

Two grunts, one snickers.

As you make your way down the stairs you hear faint footsteps.

"After you're done, Undyne!" you remind up the stairs.

Heavy footsteps retreat to your bedroom.

Sans holds the patio door open for you, and walks with you to the shed. He asks you to wait outside. "Sure?" You hear some whispers before you see him exit with your wheelbarrow.

You shake your head at the sight. "Of all the things I thought I would see today."

Alphys comes out with a stained coat wringing a pair of oily claws. "Y-you don't like it?"

"No, I mean, yes. I'm just a bit stunned. I thought it broke when we crashed into the Lab."

"W-well it did, I fixed it."

Sans clears his throat. "we fixed it. i helped."

"Pray tell, how?" you pry.

"moral support."

You lift an eyebrow. "Alphys works better when she hears snores?"

"you'd be amazed."

"I see that you've added some beeping lights," you notice.

"Y-yes, I upgraded the b-battery capacity."

"By adding lights that drain the battery?" you interrupt. "Sorry, please continue."

"T-top speed and acceleration should be twice as good," she continues.

"Nice, I look forward to using it when my legs get better. How much do I owe you?"

"I w-was the reason it got d-destroyed, so nothing. B-besides I used some spares from Mettaton."

A pair of familiar looking legs sprout out from the back of the wheelbarrow. You stare at them without blinking.

"Are you f-feeling well?"

"Hm? Oh yeah, this is just..." You breathe in through clenched teeth. "I didn't see it coming, let's leave it at that."

"did it get a leg up on you?"

You shoot a look at Sans. "I know that you're talking about the wheelbarrow, but I'm not gonna acknowledge that joke."

"got off on the wrong foot? why don't you just have a seat? kick your legs up?"

His arms invite you to the wheelbarrow and it bounces in excitement.

"Why is it happy?" you ask.

"W-what?"

"Why is my wheelbarrow happy?" you ask again.

"I didn't have t-time to make another c-chip so I used an old one."

"Does it know that it is happy?"

"N-no, just a response."

You breathe out. "Good, last thing I want is to wake up in the middle of the night to comfort it if I don't find a use for it," you explain as you hop closer to the wheelbarrow.

"you don't want it barrowing through your heart?"

You feel a smile form. "You've missed me, Sans, glad to hear that."

"yes, but my aim is getting better."

The purple legs bend down so that you can easily climb in, and you try and seat yourself as comfortable as you can. The edge presses against the fold of your knees, so it's not the most comfortable of seats. "So, what now?"

"You can either use manual st-teering or voice commands. It s-should only respond to your voice," Alphys explains.

"Like what? Get me to work?"

You can feel the last sentence slip off your tongue and you fail to catch it. The wheelbarrow stands up and starts running, leaving Alphys screaming, and Sans standing. You yell for it to stop, and luckily it does so. You exhale your shock. "Alphys, how do I switch to manual mode?"

"S-switch on the back."

"just like on everything alphys makes," Sans remarks.

She gives Sans a look, but he shrugs it off.

"Bring me my crutches will you?" you ask as you carefully climb off.

"it doesn't have any hands," Sans reminds you.

"Then can you be so kind and bring them instead, Sans?"

"you don't want alphys to tinker a bit with them," Sans whispers to you as he comes close.

You look over to Alphys. She's packing up her tools, and shake your head.

"Wheelbarrow, go back to the shed," you command your gardening equipment.

It positions itself beside Alphys. She closes the shed door behind her and walks over to you.

You lift your eyebrows. "I don't think that I'm ever going to get used to talking with it."

She squeezes her tail in response. "I thought that you would like it, so that you didn't have t-to use your h-hands."

"Don't get me wrong, I think it is cool, but having a discussion with your tools is not really familiar to us humans. I'll use it when I shop for groceries later."

Alphys releases her tail with a relieved exhale."Good."

"Shall we go inside and maybe start with some lunch?"

"ALREADY ON IT!" you hear Papyrus shout through the kitchen window.

Your heart sinks as you enter and see a bundle of noodles resting against the edge of your cooking pot.

"I BOUGHT YOU SOME SPAGHETTI, HUMAN! TO CELEBRATE THIS DAY!"

You walk over to him and lower the heat. "You'll boil away the water otherwise."

"THANK YOU!"

"No problem. Where's the tomato sauce?"

"IN THE OVEN!"

You open the oven and see two bulging cans of tomato sauce. They're shaking. Violently.

"Papyrus, get those out of there! Throw them out the window!" you scream at Papyrus.

"YOUR HUMAN COOKING IS VERY STRANGE!" he says as he bends down.

The cans land in the grass and bursts open just a second later. You inspect your red lawn with tomato corpses strewn across it. "Why didn't you open the cans?"

"THE RECIPE DIDN'T SAY THAT I NEEDED TO!"

"Did you buy any extra cans?"

"NOPE!"

You look at the mess in your yard, but you shake your head at the idea.

"We got anything else we can use?"

You hear a quiet laugh from the dining room.

"HM, I DID BUY A BUNCH OF TOMATOES FOR THE TOMATO PIE I PLANNED FOR DESSERT!"

You pick up another pan and put it on the stove. "Looks like they're gonna be used for the main course now. First we need to-"

A blue spear emerges between you and Papyrus.

"Crush them? Massacre them?" Undyne asks with too much excitement.

"Guess you're on that. Papyrus, bring me olive oil and some spices. Maybe some meat as well."

A hand tugs your shirt and you look down to see Frisk and Alphys looking up at you.

"Why don't you start making the table?" you suggest.

You raise your voice so that Sans can hear it over Undyne's maniacal laughter. "Sans can help since I'm pretty sure he's using the table cloth as a blanket."

"you don't know that," he retorts.

"Then why don't you look for it?"

"found it!" he exclaims in triumph.

"Was it on you?" you guess.

"you sure you don't know magic?"

You wave your crutches in the air. "Wouldn't be hopping around on these if I did."

A wet finger bumps your shoulder and stains it red. "The tomatoes are dead."

"How dead?"

Undyne grins. "Very."

"In the pot?"

"Their final resting place."

"Excellent. Pap, you found any meat?"

"DID YOU EAT THE MEAT IN YOUR BAG?" he asks with his head in your fridge.

"No, why would there be any?"

He leaves for a minute and comes back with two hands full of meat.

"Was that in my bag?"

"YES!"

He washes the fabric off it and places it in a pan. You turn the heat down again for him.

"Any reason?"

"YES!"

"A good reason?"

"ALWAYS!"

His concentration is fully on the meat. He bends down and inspects it and with a careful hand he applies spices to it.

"Add a bit of oil," you suggest. "Will I be happy to hear the reason?"

He holds out a mitten and you give him the bottle of oil. It tilts too far and you push it down on the back of it to prevent the meat from drowning. You open your mouth to ask him again, but Sans gives your side a careful elbow. "don't bother, my bro is in his zone. all he knows now is cooking."

"Meat, in my bag," you remind him.

"he probably had good intentions. i know my bro, he didn't mean anything mean."

You look at Papyrus squatting down to inspect his art.

"I guess that there's not much that can go wrong now with the cooking. Shall I leave him to it?"

"maybe give the noodles a stir before we go."

You twirl them around a bit and leave a hunched over Papyrus to his craft.

He enters the dining hall a couple of minutes with the biggest grin.

"Wow, Pap, the food smells...good. Did you make it?" Undyne asks with a confused look on her face.

"YES, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAS DONE IT AGAIN! I'VE PROVIDED MY FRIENDS WITH DELICIOUS SPAGHETTI!"

He serves the table before taking a seat for himself.

You take a bit and actually enjoy it. "Yeah, it's very good, Pap."

You can see the pride in his eyes.

"Y-yeah, tasty," Alphys adds as well.

Frisk gives Papyrus an approving thumb.

With eyes on the verge of bursting with glee Papyrus looks at his brother.

Sans dries off his mouth with an already stained arm and holds out his plate to Papyrus, "more please, bro."

Papyrus' squeal cuts your eardrums like a knife, but you can only smile at his happiness.

"THIS IS THE BEST DAY IN MY LIFE!"

You hold out your empty plate to him as well. "More for me as well."

The rest of the table follows Sans' example, and Papyrus' smile gives his cheeks a run for their money. His smile stays for the rest of the meal and throughout the dishes.

"HUMAN, I WILL FOREVER REMEMBER THIS DAY!"

"Me too, you're improving."

As he jumps out to his car to bring the rest home he can't stop beaming with joy.

Sans lingers at the door as the others hurry to get the best seat in Papyrus' car. "thank you, hopefully this will not be a one time edible meal."

"Compared to what you've done while I was, gone, this is nothing. Better friends exists only in legend." You give him a pat on his back. "Take care, skelebro."

He nods and walks to the car. You close the door behind him. The sound of your crutches fills the silent house, but the sound is different now. You spot the librabrian's book sticking out of a bag. It smells faintly of meat. It sits comfortably in your armpit as you hop towards the patio. You manage to flip open a chair with just one hand and you praise yourself for the action. You sit down and open the book.

"Chapter 10: The ugly human returns."

You find yourself excited to read it. Strange.


	25. A letter made of lead

You stand in front of the bathroom mirror with a bottle of skin cream in your hand. With another sigh you squeeze out the last drop and turn your shoulder. A big stripe of young skin covers your side, one of Flowey's attacks. Feeling scar tissue and skin at the same time as you apply the moisturizer is something you don't think you can become familiar with. You toss the bottle on the pile of its empty brethren and flex your arm. At least you're regaining some weight. You grab your crutches. You're not leaning that much on them, but you still feel that you need the support..

You prepare some breakfast and eat it in the morning sun. It will be a bit annoying for today's lesson, but you're still happy to have it in your face. To hear birds chirping, breathe fresh air again, and feeling a light tan form on your skin. It's good to be back home. You almost doze off in the warmth, but you catch yourself just in time. The clock on your kitchen wall tells a different story though. You're already late! How are you going to get there in time now? You'd need an extra pair of legs.

Wait...

You laugh at the idea, peek out of your patio door, and call for it.

"Destination reached," your wheelbarrow informs as it trundles to a stop on the Town Hall's parking lot.

You remove your arm from your eyes and blink to readjust them to the sunlight. The wheelbarrow bends down and you step out of it. You mount your backpack and take your crutches. Your vehicle walks to a parking space and squats down.

"How about you lean yourself on the wall instead? Tuck your legs in while you're at it," you ask it.

It obeys your command and disguises itself as a normal wheelbarrow, with flashing lights. You awkwardly tuck a crutch under your arm as you reach for the door handle. It opens from the other side and you almost fall over.

"Yo, the teacher is back!" you hear MK shout with the handle in his mouth.

A field of necks tilt upwards and smiles erupts on every face.

"Who's ready for some science?" you ask them.

They all cheer and make clouds with their mouths. You smile with them and make a cloud of your own.

"Welcome back, my child," Toriel wishes from the back of the group.

"Say, would you like to see the headmaster make a cloud?" you ask your students.

They turn their heads toward Toriel. She's taken back by your proposal. "Oh, a cloud? How do you make one?"

"Good question! Kids, how does the cloud form in your mouth?"

"Clouds form when there's cold or pressure," answers one.

"Yeah, you need to close your mouth and blow on your lips," continues another.

"And why does the cloud form?" you ask.

"Because you push the water together so that it becomes a clump."

"Wouldn't that make a big drop?" questions Toriel.

"Will only happen if you have a mouthful of water," you expand.

"Oh, I see. Fascinating."

"But enough stalling, let's see that vapor."

She closes her mouth and her face starts to vibrate. She holds it in for a long while before releasing. The cloud sails up towards the ceiling and crashes on it before disappearing. The kids go wild in awe! "Was that good?" she wonders with a blushing face.

"Biggest one I've ever seen," you congratulate.

"Thank you," she says and bows. She then scurries the kids outside for their recess. "So you can prepare your lesson in peace. I'll look after them in the meanwhile," she smiles to you as the last kid is outside. You nod and enter the classroom.

A bell rings after a while, and soon your classroom is filled with whispers. Toriel wishes you good luck, but you halt her at the door. The whispers stop. "Stay, I think you're gonna like this," you tease.

Toriel closes the door. "You sound very confident." Her voice is filled with anticipation. "What is it you have planned?"

You ask her to dim the light and a couple of kids to close the blinds. The room goes dark. You didn't really plan for it to be this dark and you fumble for the on switch on the projector you have prepared. White light illuminates the wall behind you and you lower a screen. You pick up a remote. "Life!" you answer dramatically. You push a button on the remote and a spinning picture of a helix appears on the screen. "This, this is DNA. This is what I'm made of, what Frisk is made of, what all life is made of. This is what we humans thought, this was our truth, until you came. You are also life, but you're not made of DNA, you're made of magic."

They all pat themselves while you jump to the next slide.

"So today, I'm going to teach you how I'm made. You've already learned what you're made of, right? With Alphys?"

Toriel nods.

"So why not learn a bit about the life around you now, on the Surface?"

You flick to the next slide showing a green cell. "This is a plant cell. They're different from animal cells." A red cell materializes besides it. "The life based on DNA can be categorized into two kingdoms, the animal kingdom and the plant kingdom."

"Because of the cells?" a monster asks.

"Exactly."

"Do they have a queen and a king?"

You smile at the question. "Not really, we just call them kingdoms. Anyway, inside the cell's center there's a warehouse filled with DNA. The DNA contains all the information that makes up the cell and the life it forms. From the DNA, the cell builds thousands of proteins that perform different functions. We're are made of millions of these, and they all live on their own. Like a community they work together to make life."

"How does magic work then?" another monster asks.

"That I don't know since there's not been a lot of studying of magic since we humans don't use it anymore."

"Sometimes magic gets weird, bad things happen," another monster adds.

"The same can happen with DNA, it can be damaged and that can cause the cell to break down. It can also become hostile towards the life."

The classroom door is opened and the light is switched back on. You see a group of people in suits standing in the doorway.

"Speaking of hostile," you say in your head.

"Please, continue with the lesson." The suits motion for you to continue. "We don't want to disturb, just spectate."

"Is that why you switched on the light?" You beckon for the door. "Leave, I'll teach you this in private later."

"Can't, we have a strict schedule. We'll move to the back of the class if you feel that we're in the way."

The suits shuffle past Toriel, ignoring her stern gaze, and position themselves at the back wall. They look around for any vacant chairs. They spot a stack next to you, but you quickly ask Toriel to turn off the lights again.

"Sorry, need to continue the class. Got lots to get through, right, Toriel?"

Despite the darkness you see her nod.

"Now, where was I?" You look towards the back of the room. "Oh yeah, cancer. Sometimes the DNA can get corrupted. It can start acting strange, and maybe even harm the life. The easiest way is to remove the harmful cells, but that can be tricky. It's nothing we usually want in our life. I guess you have something similar?"

Toriel nods.

"Teacher, I saw a very tiny human when Papyrus drove us here. What are they called?" another monster child asks.

"Babies," you answer.

"How are they made?"

"Babies get their DNA from both their mother and their father. Half from one and the other half from the other," you explains as innocent as possible.

Another small hand is raised. "How do the babies get the DNA?"

You shift your eyes to Toriel but she shakes her head. "Um, when a mother gets, uh," you try to explain.

"Just like how you were made. Your mother and father love each other, and decide to share their magic together, creating you. We humans do something similar, but we share DNA instead of magic." The explanation comes from the back of the room. "Strict schedule. You looked like you needed some help, teacher."

Toriel and you look at each other confused. "Yes, thank you. Moving on," you nod.

You spend the remaining of the time talking about how cells reproduce and the difference between animal and plant.

Toriel flicks the light back on when you end the lesson.

"Pages thirty to thirty five is your homework. See you tomorrow!" you finish.

The kids wave goodbye and head for the door with Toriel leading them. You sit down and start with some paperwork. You don't notice Frisk walking up to you to give you an apple.

"Oh, thank you, Frisk."

They open their mouth, but are pushed away by a suit. "Go out and play, the grown ups need to talk a bit."

"Just talk?" you retort with a raised eyebrow.

"Just talk. Alone." The suit nods to her group, and they leave. The suit remaining takes a seat on the other side of your desk. "I said alone, that includes you too, kid."

Frisk emerges from the side of your desk.

"Wait with Toriel," you say with a forced smile.

Frisk gives the suit a look and then exits the classroom.

"Cute kid. Yours?" the suit asks.

You cock your head. "Hilarious. What do you want?"

"You've any idea how the monsters came in possession of it?" she asks again as she reaches into their suit.

"Not a clue." You clamp your hands together. "Anything else?"

You're handed a letter. You take it and flip it around. "What's this?"

"Court order, delivered with less spit this time."

"Not without my lawyer. I refuse." you inform and throw the letter on the desk.

The suit looks at their watch, and dial up a number on her phone.

"Could you get the lawyer on the line?" she asks.

You hear some motion through the phone.

"Hello?"

Its your lawyer.

"Hi there, were you just handed a letter? A court order?"

"Yes, but-"

The suit ends the call.

"You are summoned to a trial to discuss and decide legislation regarding the monster's political power and citizenship."

You pick up the letter again.

"Since you've been socializing with them you are to act as a witness to their personalities and actions. You are also forbidden from any further interaction with them until the trial is over."

"What!" you exclaim.

"Since you're acting as our witness you are free to walk around us humans. Compensation for lost work will be handled after the case is closed." The suit relaxes her pose. "Finally, I hate that talk." She leans over your desk. "Listen, we just want to make sure that their relocation to the surface goes smoothly. We don't want another incident. You have to understand that."

You scratch a scar on your arm. "Of course I do, but banning me from seeing them?"

"We don't want to have an unfair trial as it would reflect badly on both sides. You will of course not see or hear anything from us until the trial. See it as a vacation, to recharge your batteries."

You narrow your eyes. "Am I free?"

"To walk around and continue with a normal life, yes. No monsters though, and no magic as well."

"Science?"

"Science is not magic, you of all people should know since you're teaching it that way. You're free to come up with a new type of medicine if you'd like," the suit suggests with a smile.

You flip the letter between your fingers.

"Do you understand everything? Is anything muddy?" The suit reaches into their suit again. "If not, then please sign here."

A piece of paper is brought before you.

"If you don't understand you'll have to be placed in custody. If you understand the terms you are free to go to the moon for all we care. You just need to be present at the trial."

You grab a pen and sign your name. The lesser of two evils, you feel.

They suit rolls up the signed document and places it inside her suit. "We don't mean you or the monsters any harm. We are just doing our job, to ensure the safety of our people. Monsters are back, they've escaped from a prison that was erected by us, and they possess powers we're not capable of wielding. There's also the case of the missing children. We need to sort out that situation at the very least."

The suit scans your face, and sees that you're not convinced. "Listen, I want to have a soda with them as much as you do. You are our greatest asset, but you're also their greatest asset. They have a connection with the humans through you, and we have a connection with the monsters through you. We made it a priority to have you on our side, humanity's side, and luckily we got you before they did. Just avoid any contact with them until after the trial, and I'll treat you and the female goat to lunch. Sounds good?"

You let the question hang for a bit before nodding.

"Great, see you in two weeks then."

"Wait, before you go. How did you know about the monsters reproduction?"

The suit sits down again. "I didn't, still don't. When you have kids of your own you'll learn how to explain things like you know them. You know how to explain things that you do know. You're a good teacher, hopefully you'll spend your free time whipping up something good for your pupils when you return."

The suit stands up and extends her hand. You lean on a crutch and take it.

"Enjoy your vacation," she wishes warmly.

She leaves, and you lean back in your chair while examining the paper you've been given. It's heavy.

Toriel enters after a minute. You halt her at the doorway.

"What's the matter?" she asks with worry on her face.

You stretch yourself and hand her the paper. She places a hand over her mouth as she reads it.

You lean back in your chair again. "Guess you have to ask Alphys to fill in for me tomorrow."

Toriel reads through the letter again. "But, why would they do this? We just want to get back to our real home, not start another war. We just want to live together, us monsters and you humans."

You look at the scar on your other arm. "All monsters?" you ask her.

"Yes, we all want to get back to living with you, together, in peace. We-" Toriel sees you examining your scars. "He's not one of us," she shouts. "He's pure evil. Nothing good has ever come of him."

"Didn't he break the barrier? With the help of the seven human souls?"

You don't get an answer.

"How did he get the human souls? Did they fall down?"

Toriel looks away.

"Toriel, did you hold the humans hostage?"

"No, I protected them from Asgore," she says with a raised voice. She fails to catch her words and tears form in her eyes.

The paper falls gently on the ground as Toriel closes the door behind her. You hop over to it, struggling to pick it up. You read it through again. A thought forms in the back of your head. You didn't want to admit it before, but the evidence just ran out the door.

Flowey was right.

So you pack your things. You notice the apple Frisk left. After some debating in your head you take it with you.

A whistle calls for you as you step outside. "Need a ride home? I'm afraid I can't let the skeleton drive you home. Though it pains me to say it, his car is off limits as well."

You look over to your own vehicle. "You got space for my wheelbarrow?"

"Is it repaired? By the monsters?" the suit asks as she helps you roll it towards their car.

"They only trimmed it a bit, increased its capacity and speed," you lie.

"With magic?"

"A better battery and a more efficient engine."

"No magic?" she asks again.

You shake your head. "No magic."

She concludes with a shrug, "Well, you signed the document," and help you lift it in the trunk of the car. When she closes the door she spots a foot hanging under the handle of your wheelbarrow. You twist your tongue trying to come up with an explanation.

"Looks like they also put in a more comfortable handle," she says with a wink.

"Yeah, sure. Thank you."

The suit rounds the car to the driver's side, and you seat yourself on the passenger side.

"I'm just doing my job, and my job description is protecting this country," she explains as she pulls out from the parking lot.

"Yes, I understand that." You look out the window. "Still."

"Yeah, I know. I take no joy in being the bad guy, trust me."

You sigh. "I want to."

"You've not had much human contact these past weeks?"

"No, not really."

You see Papyrus' car pass you by.

"This trial is going to be held behind closed doors, with both human and monster juries."

You tilt your head towards them. "I know, I read it."

"What I'm saying is," she tries explain with her hand out towards you, "that perhaps you should balance out your connections? Seek out some humans to befriend, make the trial as fair as possible. It is going to decide the future of our coexistence." The suit gives you a smile. "No pressure."

You look out the window again to try and process everything.

After a while the suit drops you off outside your house. You wave her away, and wait a minute before you command your wheelbarrow to get back in its shed. With your head heavy with thoughts you make lunch and sit yourself outside on the patio. A breeze passes you by, and you reach into you pocket. You hand the paper to the space beside you. A hand grabs it.

"No more ketchup for you for a while, sorry," you say to the empty air in front of you.

You're handed back the letter with a note stuck on it. It almost flies away as a gust of air tucks it.

"This note is not written to anyone in particular, and is in no way associated with any form of interaction. I just want to say that we're not holding anything against whoever reads this note, whatever they decide to do. Whoever reads this will be missed if things go bad, and will also be welcomed back if they decide to. Whoever reads this should also buy more ketchup."

It appears that word travels quick. You fold the note in half and place it in your shirt pocket before finishing your meal. You read through the court order again and decide that you need some legal advice.

The iron gate squeaks as you open it. You look around to make sure that you're alone, and walk up to your family.

"Hi again. Better late than never?" You take a seat on a nearby bench. "Sorry for not visiting for a while."

You listen for something, but no one comes.

"I'm going to trial. Don't worry, it's nothing illegal that I've done. I should probably start at the beginning. Monsters are real! I found them on our plateau, in a cave. Crazy, huh?"

Still nothing.

"I was offered a job, as a teacher. The kids love my lessons," you laugh, "but I think I might have overdone it with the mouth clouds." You shrug your shoulders. "Eh, it is cute, and the kids like it, so no harm done, right?"

You feel your smile fade away, and you lean down on your knuckles.

"The monsters, they're, were, not good people. They've done some horrid things, but they've not showed anything here. They've talked about a new chapter, but still."

You feel your thoughts overwhelm you.

"I don't know what to do. I'm about to decide if they should live here, with us. But they've killed kids. They wouldn't hurt a fly up here, but down there? One almost killed me! Can I forgive them for that?"

Your head disappears into your hands and you let it sulk there until you hear gravel being trampled on. You shoot up and dry your face.

"We here to respect the dead?" you hear the man ask.

"You think my family's curse is going to spread to the other graves if I continue?"

You hear him walk closer to you. "With monsters walking the Surface, bringing magic back from the Underground, you'd have to be a fool not to think that something is about to go amiss." The man stops beside you. "Mind if I sit down?"

You scratch your nose. "It's your graveyard."

The pastor seats himself on the other side of the bench. "My child, please listen."

"Why should I? Wouldn't I melt from the holiness of your words as the cursed being that I am?"

He puts a hand on your shoulder. "You're upset."

You pick it up and throw it back at him. "Of course I'm upset! I wouldn't come here if I weren't. Don't pour salt in my wounds, please. Not again." You massage your forehead.

"If you think that I'm going to forgive your parents for what they did," the pastor says quietly.

"Ha!" you laugh. "You act surprised that monsters walk the earth despite seeing one in the mirror every day?" You stand up, and wobble a bit before taking strain on one of your crutches. "What do you want? Leave me alone."

The pastor walks in front of you. "Don't think that I don't weep for your parents. I weep for all that I have under my wings. I won't forgive them, but I will mourn their deaths."

You look down. "I don't know if I can apologize either," you pick up your other crutch, "but I appreciate it, father."

He catches your eyes. "I also weep for those that are not in my garden. Especially the kids that lie below us."

"What makes you think that they died in the Underground?"

"Don't be naive. I'm very familiar with the legends. Despite them being only that they still hold cultural value to us."

"So, you know why we went to war?"

He shakes his head. "No, there's not a single book containing anything about the Barrier and the war."

"So the only ones that would know are?"

"The monsters, yes."

You pinch your nose.

The pastor steps out of your way. "They have that name for a reason, don't forget that. Don't let the poor children's deaths go unpunished, that is all I ask of you."

"After all you've said to me and my family?" you scoff out. "You think that you're in any position to make demands?"

The pastor lifts up his shirt to reveal a huge scar going across his back. It looks like yours, the same clean cut and width. He sees your reaction, and releases his grip from his frock. "Some legends are true and some turn to dust. Keep that in mind, my child."

You scramble for your crutches and hop for the exit. The iron gate squeaks as you close it. You look back and see the pastor kneeling before your family. A wind disturbs a nearby aspen. They wish you good luck.


	26. Tales of the past

"You! I need to talk with you!"

Your voice barely eclipses the sound of the construction around you, but you manage to get the ear of the builder.

He smiles as he see you, and playfully shoos away a colleague as he walks up to you. "I heard you fell ill. Glad to see you back on your feet. What's on your mind?"

You point a crutch at him. "You lied to me!"

"What?" he asks with an uneasy pose.

"The monster that attacked! That wasn't a hundred years ago, it was recent."

He turns around and walks away.

"Stop! I need to know!" you shout after him.

A truck rolls inside from the street, and you sneak in behind it. Next to you is a sign that informs to always wear a helmet. You manage to find one, but it's a size too big for you. You still wear it, and take after the builder with quick skips. He walks inside a temporary building. You follow him only to be greeted by a locked door. No! That won't stop you! You bang your fist against it.

"I know that you lied! I want the truth, it's important. How long ago was it?" You take a step back. "Was I even alive back then?"

The construction around you starts to wear on your ears, but the door is opened after a minute.

"If your father was alive now he'd have my head." The builder waves you inside. "That's on him though. He should have thought about my promise before he had a kid that's just like him."

You walk inside. "Dad's dead, and you have a chance to help his kid. He probably didn't mean it literally." The builder closes the door behind you. "Please," you beg, "the future of the humans and the monsters hangs on this."

You're invited to a chair and you gladly accept it only to get rid of your crutches for some time. The builder seats himself on the other side and takes off his helmet. You do the same. His chair moans as he leans back in deep thought. Another minute passes before he starts.

"It wasn't really a village, it was more of a small summer home community. Ten households, max. How long was it now? Ten or fifteen years ago I was working on maintaining a water fountain there when a monster came, carrying a child." The builder massage his face. "I can still hear its sobs. It cried for someone, maybe its mother, just like a child would. It attacked me when I approached it." His breathing becomes heavy. "I, I thought I would die! I saw my chest slashed wide open. Like a fish, the monster gutted me. I...just give me a minute."

You roll up your arm to remind yourself. "I know, take your time. Just tell me the truth, I don't care how long it takes," you ensure him.

"No, it's OK. I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Y-yeah." The builder takes a deep breath. "So, the monster retreated through a cloud with the kid as the people around me attacked it. I lay there, crying for my wife and kids." He pauses. You let him. "The people ran to me, some threw up right there on the spot, and some tried to call for an ambulance. I heard yelling! The pastor was screaming at your mother. Your father came up to me, he..." The builder flexes his hands. "He healed me."

You look in his eyes to find anything that would indicate that he's lying again. You don't find anything.

"He, he healed you?" You don't believe your own words. "With magic? Dad?"

"Yes, I stood up not a minute after. I couldn't believe what he had done. After the shock I turned around to thank him, but I couldn't find him."

You lean forward. "Where did he go?"

He looks deep into your eyes. "To you."

"Me?"

"Yes, something was glowing inside the smoke. I could only see the silhouette of your father on his knees. He was holding the glow, trying to push it down back into you, but a piece broke off and vanished in the smoke." The builder mimics the movements. "He reached for it, but he couldn't grab it. The pain it caused him, you could see it, even through the thick smoke. I've not heard so much sorrow in a voice before he collapsed, exhausted. From healing me or losing a piece of the glow, I don't know. Perhaps both. It was only then that I noticed that the ground had turned dark. It was drained, like someone vacuumed up all the life and happiness out of it. Was it because he healed me? Did he sacrifice the land to save me? To save you?"

"But, I don't remember that! We left that place because we couldn't afford the house anymore."

"You were in the hospital for a while after. Tree climbing accident I think they said it was."

You jump out our of your seat and fall down when your legs cave underneath you. "How do you know that?" you burst out in panic. Your eyes shoot wide open in realization. "They, they lied to me."

The worker runs over to you and helps you back in your seat. "They just wanted to protect you. Don't be mad at them."

You bury your hands in your hair. "I need a minute."

"Of course."

You sit and ponder. Dad knew magic? Who was the kid? Someone you knew? The monster, did it attack you? Have you almost died twice to them?

The door opens and a man with a clipboard enters. He looks at you. "Who's this?" the man asks the builder.

"Kid of a friend of mine," the builder answers. "I'm just doing a little interview with them."

You wave.

"Oh, I just wanted to inform you that you have some guests that want to speak with you."

The builder nods. "I'll come to you after the interview."

"I'll tell them to wait in my office then."

The foreman leaves and the sound of heavy machinery becomes muffled again.

"Wait, why isn't this common knowledge?" you start again after a minute.

"Luckily it was only yours and two other families that were there at the time of the attack. Yours was the only that stayed near Mt. Ebott because of your money situation. The rest have moved far away, probably to forget. We had a discussion when your father came back from the hospital, and we concluded that it was better not to speak of it. Maybe we made the wrong decision? We were still shocked by the monster, your dad healing me, and the magic. It was the pastor's word that sealed the deal though. Before we all left your father took me to the side since he knew that I also had family in this town. He looked me in the eyes, his were weak. I could also feel that his hand was heavy. He made me promise again to never say anything, not even to his kids."

The builder scoffs and looks up. "Sorry, pal. Your kid is as persuasive as you were!" He returns his eyes to you. "Seems like monsters can't kill them though, no matter how hard they try."

"Mom, what did she do?"

"She argued with the pastor. He called your family cursed, said that he warned them. He then collapsed, the monster managed to lay a claw on him. She bandaged him up while the others took care of you and your dad."

"What was the pastor's excuse for his wounds?"

"He went up to the tree to get you, but you both fell."

"And they bought it?"

The builder shrugs his shoulders. "Seems like it."

"This, this is too much!" You shake your head in disbelief. "I don't know what to make of this."

"You tell me, I've been debating that for over a decade now."

"You've come to any conclusion?"

"Only that your father saved me and you from dying. He's a hero, but we can't call him that."

"But, he used magic."

A thick hand is smashed against the table and it bends because of the impact. "Magic or not, I don't care! Even if he was a monster in disguise! I don't care if he was cursed or not. He saved my kids from growing up without a father, and that is all that matters!" The builder takes a deep breath and caresses his hand. "This trial is going to be a nightmare."

"You know about it?" You throw your hands up. "Does anyone not know about it?"

The door is flung open and a woman darts her eyes around the room. "I heard a loud crash and I thought-"

"No, no, sorry," the builder apologizes with a smile. "I was just showing them what would happen if you don't wear your helmet."

You show off your helmet. The woman nods and closes the door.

The builder pats the table. "Dammit, we just got this table," he sighs. "Gonna be difficult explaining this to the boss."

"The trial?" you remind him.

"I was present during the attack and they figured it out somehow. I've been asked to talk about the attack. They probably want to see me break down in the court room. Shock effect."

"Who do you mean by them?"

He gives you a weak smile and a shrug. "The monsters."

You run your hand through your hair again and sigh through your lips. "This is going to be big."

"Trial of the century, with you and I at the center."

Your eyes widen in realization. "You have to talk about how my dad healed you, right?"

He sighs deeply. "I have to look out for myself and my family."

"No, it's OK, I understand. Just see if you can avoid talking about me."

The builder nods. "I'll do everything I can," he promises. "I still owe your dad."

"Thank you." You hang your head for a bit before you scoff. "Doesn't this count as interaction?"

"Hey, you came to me. Besides, we're doing an interview."

"No hard feelings after the trial?"

"You'll have none from me. I can still see your dad in you, and I can't allow myself to be mad at him." The builder looks at the clock. "You should probably go before they start looking for me and find you talking with me."

You stand up. "Thank you, for everything."

He looks up again. "See this as a down payment on my debt."

"Debt?" you ask with your hand on the door handle.

"I'm just joking with him." You can see tears building up in the builder's eyes. "I think he appreciates it."

You nod, and exit the building.

The construction seems to have halted a bit and you look around. You see ML and Asgore walking around with the foreman. Shit! You need to hide! Get out of the site unnoticed, but how? You realize that you're still holding the helmet and put it on before you stand out at a glance. A nearby clipboard lays without an owner and you pick it up. You have to disguise your crutches somehow! Numbers and lines are written on the paper and you fail to understand their meaning. A finger taps your shoulder and a voice greets you with another paper over it. You take it and nod. The voice waits for a bit before tapping you once again on the shoulder.

"You're not gonna transfer the calculations?" he asks.

You mask your voice. "Yeah, sure, give me a second."

You skim through the calculations and write a number that sounds reasonable on the clipboard before you hand it the paper back over your shoulder. He rips the paper and hands back the clipboard. You nod and walk away with your crutches. Luckily you manage to slip through the construction without anyone else bothering you on the way out. At the exit you see the foreman receiving the paper you've just doodled on. He hands it to Asgore who puts it inside his robe. You quickly move out of sight.

"Barrow, are you fully charged?" you shout out your kitchen window. It runs into view and bounces eagerly. You finish packing the provisions and seat yourself in it. "To the plateau up Mt. Ebott! Use Papyrus' road."

It starts moving and you lean back to think. Is this really a good idea? Maybe? What's the worst that can happen, after all? The place is abandoned. That much you could remember yourself. The builder did say something about the ground being drained. It feels familiar, but you can't put your finger on it. Perhaps when you can literally put a finger on it you'll remember.

A short while later you're up on the mountain again. Your town still looks as blissfully unaware of the past weeks happenings as ever. You round the side of the mountain and halt your vehicle. The faintest outline of something man made can be seen in the distance, but there's so much vegetation around it that you can only guess.

"Need to get a bit closer," you say in thought.

The wheelbarrow takes another step, over the edge. You scramble to get a grip and lock your hands on the handles behind you. Stones and trees pass your screams in quick succession, way too quick for your taste. Despite the speed, the metallic legs steer you to safety, and you glide to a halt at the foot of the mountain. Your heavy breathing echoes through the forest around you for a minute before you continue.

The wall of trees open up, and you find yourself looking at the back of some houses. They're weathered, abandoned. Must be the place. As you enter the area you feel thirst building up, and you turn around for your provisions. As you do, you accidentally brush up against some ivy, causing it to fall over and crack when it hits the ground.

You look around and notice that the area inside the ring of houses is flat. No grass. No flowers. Instead it is sickly gray, withered, and tired. Your hand comes in contact with something when you reach into your backpack. Something wrong. You lift it up by its stem and see that the apple Frisk gave you has turned rotten. You take another look in your bag and see that the rest of your food is also spoiled. The water smells fine though, but it tastes a bit different.

You dismount and start looking around the houses, searching for yours. A rusted letterbox spells your last name in a beautiful font. You give the handle a tug, but it doesn't budge. You whistle and ask your wheelbarrow to kick the door in. It turns around and plants a powerful foot at the lock. The door bursts open with splinters bouncing off the opposite wall inside. A thick layer of dust is present on the floor like a mist, so you pull up your shirt over your mouth before you enter.

The empty rooms where you and your siblings played in is now dust ridden and desolate. You feel that you should hurry up before your emotions get the better of you. There's not much left in the house, your parents took it all with them when you moved out. Nothing helps you remember, nothing helps you connect to that day.

You decide to enter your parents bedroom despite your gut feeling screaming at you not to. Inside you spot something on their night stand. You brush off the layers of old covering it. Heavy tears makes holes in the dust at your feet and wobbly knees makes you sit down on the bed. A huge cloud of dust form around you. You press the photo frame against your heart and cover your eyes with the other hand.

The dust settles on and around you before you regain the strength to stand up again. You flip the photo frame over and remove the photograph inside it. You can see your whole family in it. Something's wrong with it though. A piece of it has been teared off next to you in the picture.  Perhaps it was to make it fit into the frame? The photo fits nicely into your pocket, and you leave the house.

You shake off the dust outside and dry off your face. With a narrowing brow you look over the withered yard and notice that it becomes darker as it gets closer to the center of the village. There's a rotten flower patch that lies flat and dead, but there's an outline in it. Human shaped, like a child.

You get closer to get a better look and your breathing becomes heavier. The air feels weird. There's an aura present. You feel your face blossom, but you can't stop! You have to push on, something is driving you forward. It ain't your legs nor is it your crutches. It grows stronger as fatigue takes a hold over you. It fights back, filling you with foreign strength.

The ground becomes looser as you get closer to the withered flowers, but you fight against it. The crutches gets stuck in the ground, so you toss them aside. They are just in your way now, you don't need them. Your cheeks are burning, but you welcome the pain. It drives you. Just a couple more steps, you can do it, you're determined.

With a grin you position yourself over the silhouette in the flowerbed. Weak, you were so weak back then. How could you be defeated by a monster? You're a human, you can squash them underneath your might. It is how why you won over them. The trial is a joke. You humans should demand them to obey you. With a smile you bring up the photograph to your face and see two red dots reflect off the glossy paper.

Good.

You drop the photograph and hunch over in pain. An invisible hand grips your heart, squeezing the strength out of you, "What are you thinking? You wouldn't hurt them! This isn't you," it screams.

The hand tightens its grip and you feel your strength drain from it. Your legs start trembling and you fumble for your crutches. You dropped them, they're out of your reach, so you fall on your knees. With a pair of unstable hands you try to pick up the photograph, but you collapse next to it. Your family is looking at you lying in the flower patch again. You need them, again. You whisper out a weak cry for help, but they're not near, they don't hear you. No one comes. You're alone.

You wake up with a pounding head. Rays of sunlight dance on your face, filtered through the green crowns of the trees around you. You squint to let less light into your aching skull. You have something in your hand, the photograph. You caress it with a finger. Below your head you hear beeping and servos. A pair of feet are trundling along under you.

"Thank you," you say with a tired voice.

You sleep the rest of the way home.

"Destination reached," your wheelbarrow informs.

With one hand on the wheelbarrow you walk inside and dive for the faucet. You drink until your lungs scream for air. You take a deep breath, and drink even more. You then take some leftovers and eat it in a hurry. The cold doesn't bother you. Once the plate is clean you throw it in the sink and breathe out clumsily. What now? A shower, to clear your head?

Yeah, sounds good.

You struggle to get up the stairs. Once inside the bathroom you undress and leave the clothes in a pile on the floor. You flick open the shower and sit down. The cold water hits your neck and back, but you endure it. A moment later the warmth kicks in and you feel your body relax. You look at your hands.

"What's happening to me?"

The question echoes through the bathroom and you lock your hands around your legs as you hear it bounce back. You stay huddled up until you feel like you should probably go to bed and sort this out in the morning. With a swipe you clean off the fog off your mirror and lift up an eyelid to inspect your eye. You can't see anything red.

Good.

You dry yourself off and walk to your bedroom. A thought hits you in the doorway. You haven't brushed your teeth! That worry pales against the temptation of your bed, and you fall down heavily into it. Your eyelids barely touch each other before you fall asleep.

A dreamless night later you wake up when the sun slash across your face. Your mouth is dry and your face is hot. You can't debate yourself now, not like this. Breakfast first, internally discussing magic later. With heavy arms you make some porridge after a uncomfortable walk down to your kitchen. The door knocks, and you lower your head. Dammit.

"Five minutes," you inform the door. The knocks become harder, must be Papyrus, "Pap, I hope Toriel told you that I can't talk with you for a while!" More knocks follow. "Pap, I'm going on a trial. I can't interact with you for a time. I still love you though," you explain as you near the door. The morning's newspaper hangs in the letterbox. A big headline is taking up half the front page.

"Trial today! Monsters versus Humans!" it reads.

You miss the door handle as you read the headline. Today? Wasn't it supposed to be-

The door is opened for you and a man in a suit stands just outside.

"There's been a change of date. The trial will take place today. You got fifteen minutes," he informs you.

You pick up the newspaper and show it to the man. He frowns and asks for it before he closes the door.

"We got a mole. Yeah, today's freebie. Dispatch someone to sniff them out," you hear him say through the door.

A smell catches your nose. The porridge is burnt. Fantastic.


	27. Soul of the law

The man opposite of you puts a finger to the side of his head and bends over. He produces a large piece of black fabric from underneath his seat. "Put this on." he says as he tosses it to you. The sloppy sandwich in your hand stains the fabric as you catch it with your free hand.

"How many outside the court? Is it a big crowd?" you ask from underneath the blanket with your sandwich in your mouth. The car stops and it almost falls out. You hear the door open and a hand is placed on your shoulder.

"Just look down so you don't trip and fall," you hear someone say into your ear with a voice just barely loud enough for you to make it out from the hundreds around you. Camera shutters, people talking about the trial, and intelligible chanting follows you as you make your way up a flight of stairs.

The voices can still be heard from outside the thick door as it is closed behind you. You're lead into a room with just a table and three chairs. With an invitation from the man that escorted you there, you seat yourself in the one that's alone on its side. He knocks on a door opposite of you and makes his way out the one you came from. You roll the fabric up around your hands and wait.

A while later the knocked door is opened and the suit that gave you the letter enters with a man in a different colored suit. You unfold your hands and take their outstretched one.

"You got ID with you?"

You show yours and she nods before giving it back. With two fingers, she indicates to the man next to her. "This is our lawyer."

"Nervous?" the lawyer asks.

"A bit, I don't think I've really grasped what is about to happen," you answer.

"You're gonna be present during the hearing, but you are only to speak when asked to, and only the truth," the lawyer explains.

"Hand on the book?"

"The whole charade," the suit injects.

She gest a look from the lawyer as he lays a document in front of you. "Please sign at the line. The trial is ready to begin, we're only waiting for you."

"It's not my fault. I didn't know that you changed the date," you defend.

"Didn't mean anything towards you, just stating the fact. As will you, I hope," the lawyer clarifies with a nod.

You sign the document and the two of them lead you into the court room.

A pick and mix bag of sounds follows you again as you seat yourself at the front. To your left is a wall filled with different monsters, and to your right is a similar wall but with humans. Both are looking at the other, sizing the other group up.

"Arise for the judges," you hear a security guard yell, silencing the room.

Three humans and three monsters, all with the same hair style, enter the room and seat themselves on the podium that's built for five. One from each group stands up and take each others...limbs? You can see that they're both a bit uncomfortable with the grip between them.

"The court between humans and monsters is now in session. Today we will discuss legislation and the confinements of the resurfacing of the monsters. You have all signed on to tell the truth, and we want nothing else. This trial is not just for you, but for the future of everyone," says the monster judge before sitting down.

"Would the representatives of the monster please arise?" asks a human judge.

You hear chairs complaining. Monster Lawyer and Asgore stand up.

"Why have the defendant summoned this trial?" the judge asks.

"Your honor, the humans have accused us monsters of murdering seven human children, and because of that they threaten legislation to confine the monsters privacy and personal freedom," explains ML.

The judge nods. "How do you plead to the accusations?"

"Not guilty."

"Do you have proof?"

"Yes."

"Thank you, you may sit down. Would the representatives of the humans please arise?" asks a monster judge.

The suit and their lawyer stand up.

"Why have the prosecution summoned this trial?"

"Your honor, the monsters have murdered seven human children, and because of that we feel that it is necessary to take action and pass through legislation to prevent this from happening again," explains the human lawyer.

The monster judge nods. "Do you have proof?"

"Yes."

"Thank you, you may sit down. Will the defendant please bring forth their first witness?"

You see the mayor stepping up to the witness stand. It opens from the side. Good thing you weren't first, you thought it opened from the front.

"Mayor, would you please tell us your first interaction with the monsters and how they came in possession of human property?" Monster Lawyer requests as he walks up.

"I was sitting in my office, working, when my secretary called me on the intercom," the Mayor starts.

"Question," the human lawyer interrupts.

"Granted," informs a human judge.

"What was her reaction?" asks the human lawyer.

"She was nervous, scared. I could hear it in her voice, but I told her to let them in. The door opened and two huge goats entered," the mayor answers.

You can hear Toriel and Asgore shift at the word 'goat'.

"You are aware that they're not goats?" asks ML.

"Yes, of course. I do now, but that was what popped into my head at the time," the mayor clarifies. "They entered and asked if they could sit down."

"Were you intimidated by them?" ML continues.

"I was a bit startled from seeing them, but their demeanor was anything but intimidating. They were polite, well spoken, and explained their situation very elegantly. They told me who and what they were, the monster king and monster queen of the Underground, and asked me if they could talk with me about buying estate and acquiring building permits. A school and a laboratory. They showed me their currency, gold, and I explained to them how they could convert it to human currency. We spoke for a while and after a couple of hours I'd managed to sell them a couple of houses."

"Why in the newly built neighborhood?" ML asks with a bit of flair in his voice.

"Because of an old law regarding nature reservations we couldn't expand the communications network to their neighborhood so the city had to buy the houses. No one was interested in purchasing the estates until the monsters came. They didn't even ask for a lower price."

ML turns to the human jury. "I hope this demonstrates the friendliness and generosity of us monsters. We're not here to compete with you, we're here to live with you. Side by side, like before. I would like to bring the attention to an old human saying that states that you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. Please keep this in mind." ML turns back towards the witness stand. "The defendant has no more questions."

"Does the opposing party have any questions?" a judge asks the party that brought you here.

"No," the lawyer states after a bit of whispering with the suit.

"Will the prosecutors please bring forth their first witness?" a human judge asks.

The human lawyer nods. "Certainly."

The pastor walks up to the podium with the human lawyer right behind him. "Father, you were the caretaker of Mt. Ebott Orphanage, correct?"

"That is true," the pastor answers.

"How many children have disappeared these last years?"

The pastor's head lowers. "Eight."

"How many are still missing?"

Out of the corner of your eye you can see your friends heads lowering as well. Toriel's gaze is piercing Asgore's neck.

"Seven, seven tiny souls are still missing."

You can see that the answer pains him.

"I know that this is hard for you, father. Please, where were they last seen?" the lawyer asks with his hand over the pastor's.

"Near Mt. Ebott."

The pastor puts his lips to his hands and you can hear his voice. It is filled with grief. He's praying.

"Thank you for sharing, father." The lawyer turns himself towards the monster jury. "If anyone knows anything about the human children please step forward." Not a single movement comes from the stand. "I only want to bring justice to them, nothing more."

ML slams his head on the desk and half the court room jumps.

"Objection!" he shouts out with a red forehead.

"Granted," a human judge answers.

"If you only want justice towards the children then would you be so kindly as to explain the legislation you propose?"

"The legislation can and will be revised further down the line, but right now we have an entire nation full of murder suspects wanting to resurface," the human lawyer snarls. "Since you haven't been prioritizing the slaughtering of human children in your world we have to take up the responsibility." He lifts an accusing finger. "And trust me when I tell you that it is a burden I'm more that willing to have on my shoulders!" The human lawyer turns back to the monster jury. "We can't let potential serial killers live among us unsupervised, even you have to agree on that."

Silence hangs in the air.

"The defendant wants to withdraw their protest," ML finally retreats, reluctantly.

"Noted," a monster judge replies.

The human lawyer tucks back his tie and turns to the judges. "The prosecutor has no more questions for this witness."

A monster lawyer nods, "Does the defendant have any questions?"

ML turns to Asgore, and after a while Asgore turns to you. He looks at you with a pair of conflicted eyes before he sighs deeply and nods to ML.

"Not at the moment," says ML.

"Any reason?" a human judge asks with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes, but it's a reason that I can't discuss within earshot of the prosecutor," ML explains.

The human judge calls for a break as they discuss the situation. You're brought some water and a properly made sandwich.

Five minutes later the judges accept the reasoning and resume the hearing. The human lawyer does not protest.

"Will the defendant please bring out their second witness?"

The prime minister seats themselves as ML walks up. "A pleasure to finally speak with you, prime minister," he greets. "Would you please tell the audience about your visit to Queen Toriel's school?"

The Prime Minister smiles and nod. "Absolutely. I was invited to observe a lesson in magic hosted by the monster named Alphys."

"Would the monster named Alphys please stand up?" ML asks.

After some squealing Alphys stands up on wobbly knees. The lawyer smiles at her. "Thank you, Alphys. You can sit down again."

"T-thanks, you too."

Her face turns bright red.

"Please continue, prime minister," ML asks gently.

"I was greeted by Toriel at the entrance of the Town Hall. She presented herself and followed me inside."

You wonder if Toriel addressed them as her child. Probably.

"The classroom was filled with an array of small monsters. Truth be told, I was taken back a bit by the sight. Alphys began her lesson by splitting the class in two groups. One group used their magic to build some kind of target for the other group to destroy. I thought it was very strange at first, but then the destroyers gave advice as how to improve the conjurers construction. This went on until the construction barely held. They cheered for each other, congratulating one another. Then they made clouds with their mouths. Truth be told, that was the strangest part."

You can't stop the smile from appearing on your face.

"I didn't want to interrupt the class so I thought nothing of it. Afterwards they seated themselves in a circle and meditated. It was very beautiful."

"Did you ever feel threatened by their magic?" ML asks with a tilted head.

"Well, I was a bit skeptical about children possessing magic. Heck, even magic in general. But seeing magic being used to teach kids about themselves, it was inspiring."

"Question," the human lawyer says.

"Granted," replies a monster judge.

"Was there only monster children there? No humans?"

The prime minister shakes her head. "No humans."

The human lawyer writes something down in his notebook. "Thank you," he says when he's done.

ML once again turns to the human jury. "Magic might be scary at first sight, and the same can be said for us monsters. But when you open your mind to the possibilities that this opportunity will bring forward you will discover a whole new world. A world that we would like to share with you! To unite and prosper like we did so many years ago. We've been united far longer than we've been separated. Thank you. The defendant has no more questions."

"Does the opposing party have any questions?"

"Yes, can magic be used to manipulate the mind?" the human lawyer asks.

"No, there's magic that can induce thoughts among the monsters, but the effect is at best only temporary. It's frowned upon in our society." ML answers.

The human lawyer taps his pen on his lips. "How temporary?"

"For it to last more than a few seconds it has to be induced over a long continuous period of time. Days, weeks. Our witnesses have alibis covering the days leading up to today."

"I'm not suggesting anything. I'm just curious," the human lawyer retorts with a smile.

"Pleased to hear that," ML nods.

"The prosecutor has more questions, your honor."

"Will the prosecutor please bring forth their second witness?"

"Our second witness can't be present but we have a recording of them," the human lawyer explains as he taps his bag. He opens it up and picks up a cyan flower. You can see the monsters shift in their seats. "I present to the court, the recording of Flowey, the monster that attacked our third witness. Can a monster please explain to the rest of the humans what this is?"

ML fails to persuade Asgore from standing up. "What you have there is an Echo Flower, it absorbs conversations from its surroundings and it grows in the Underground. Touching its petal releases the stored conversation. The harder the touch the longer the release."

"We took the liberty of fast forwarding to the relevant part," the human lawyer informs to the room.

The lawyer places the flower on the podium and touches the petal.

"The fuck are you doing, Sans?" you hear yourself shout from the flower.

As the flower retells your battle you feel your scars pulse. With every slash you hear the one that formed pulsates in remembrance. You shift yourself in your seat, but you can't shake it off.

The flower makes a mockery of the clothes you wore, and out of the corner of your eye you see Alphys squeezing her tail. You also see Toriel looking at you with caring eyes. She hears your screams as clearly as you do, and you can tell that she's feeling your pain as well. You mutter out a quiet sorry for what's about to come. A second later a child's voice emerges from the Echo Flower.

"No, wait, I'm Asriel. Please don't kill me again, I want to see mom and dad," it says.

Toriel and Asgore freeze. Like the statues in Asgore's garden they can't move. They search the others eyes for support, but they can't find anything. Asgore puts a hand on Toriel's cheek. She leans into it and lets out a weak and silent cry. Asgore says something to her. You can't hear it but you can read his lips., "Stay strong," he asks of her.

"Stop, the defense needs a minute to collect themselves," ML pleads.

The human lawyer lifts his hand from the flower. He seems to be shocked over Asgore and Toriel's reactions. He takes out his wallet and lifts out a small picture. You can see that his lips starts quivering. He looks at it for a while before nodding towards ML. "They can take as much time as they want. Forgive me, I didn't know that they'd lost a child."

He sits back down next to the suit who whispers something to him. He nods weakly before leaning his chin on his knuckles.

Asgore and Toriel look at each other for a minute before Toriel removes Asgore's hand.

"Still trying," you read on her lips.

Asgore takes a deep breath. You hear that it is unstable. "We can continue with the court now."

The human lawyer stands up. "Are you sure?"

Asgore looks at Toriel before nodding. "Yes, please continue."

The lawyer nods with respect and puts his hand on the flower again. Flowey is describing how he felt Asriel's happiness. It pains Asgore and Toriel, cuts them deep. Flowey may be done destroying your body, but he's still destroying their spirits. You can see the same pain you felt in their faces. They twist with every word like yours did with every slash. Anger, sadness, shock. Toriel sobs become heavier, and you lower your head. It hurts more than what Flowey did to you.

You hear yourself argue with Flowey, calling him Asriel, trying to make him remember. He laughs and another voice fills the court. It's Alphys'. It makes fun of her with her stammer.

Undyne conjures a spear in response, but Alphys forces it down. She tries to say something, but she keeps on stammering along with the Echo Flower, and eventually she looks away from Undyne. Undyne puts a hand on Alphys' shoulder, but Alphys twists it off with a sharp shrug. You can see her crying into her tail. Undyne forms a fist and stares at it with burning eyes. She releases it as violently as she formed it as she hears Asgore's voice. Asgore hears it as well, and judging by his reaction they are not his words.

"Oh Golly, look, humans are falling down. I'll just kill them and destroy the barrier instead."

He turns around to Toriel, but she swats away his hands. She averts her gaze and with a heavy head Asgore turns back around, away from her. Toriel rests her head in her hands and shakes it. It doesn't stay there long as she lunges it up at the sound of her own voice. It speaks of her holding her children hostage and subjecting them to her own trial. Her trial of fire. She stands up without a word, and walks down the room towards the exit. Dark spots dot the carpet underneath her. As Flowey questions if you have feelings for her she stops in her step, and turns to you. You want to yell to her to cover her ears, but you're too late.

"Embrace me with your humanity, my child," you hear Toriel's voice say with a seductive tone. The quiet seconds that follow feels like an eternity. You lower your head in shame and the sound of the door closing hurts as much as if you were standing in its way. A judge motions the human lawyer to stop and you can hear your voice threaten to pluck Flowey's petals fade away. The judge then stands up.

"Toriel has left the court room, and is no longer allowed to hear the rest of the hearing. I'm also going to remind you that she's not to be informed of anything that's been said after her departure. She's only to be told the result of the trial." The judge sits down again. "You may proceed," he allows the human lawyer.

The sound of something whizzing by the Echo Flower catches Undyne's ear. She recognizes the sound and shock takes over her face. She hears her own voice talking about how she enjoys killing kids. Alphys tries to comfort her, but with every word that passes her attempts become less and less engaging. She eventually stops, and without Alphys' support Undyne starts shaking. She meets Alphys' eyes, but as she opens her mouth up to speak Alphys stands up and walks towards the door. Undyne walks after her.

"Please, Alphee,", she pleads, but it only causes Alphys to pick up the pace. She closes the door in Undyne's face. Undyne stands in front of the door for a couple of seconds before she opens it herself.

You hide your face in your hands. The words spoken by Flowey still burns like acid in your ears. You tried to picture his face over your friends' voices, but you couldn't, and you hate yourself because of it. The sound of something hitting a table ends the Echo Flower's testimony, and the human lawyer puts the flower back in his bag.

"A copy of the recording will be submitted after the trial," he informs with an insecure voice. You can tell that he did this out of necessity, not malcontent. He turns towards Asgore. "This monster, did it speak the truth?"

Asgore stands up.

"I got nothing against you, I just want to know."

He removes his crown from his head.

"Asgore, did you kill my son?"

His eyes meets the human lawyer's.

"Your child died under my reign. Whether or not by my hand is not important. This title I bear is mine because I represent the monsters, and therefore I speak with their voice. Your son died in my kingdom, which means that I killed him. Not a night passes without me thinking if there was another way to solve our situation. The decision was made out of pure emotion and I've been haunted by the sins it has caused me ever since."

Asgore puts a hand on his chest. 

"For what it is worth, your son died with dignity. He died to save a nation, to save my people. I can't thank him enough for his sacrifice, and I can only hope to beg your forgiveness."

The human lawyer brings up his photo again. He strokes it before kissing it. "Is, is he buried?"

"I've given him our rites, but they don't involve burying. I'll pay for any expenses necessary to bring peace to your mind."

"He had a hat, my old cowboy hat. Is it?"

Asgore nods. "It was lost for a time, but we've recovered it. He's wearing it now."

"Thank you." Tears are collected on the lawyer's cheeks. Like rain they fill the dimple on his smiling cheeks. "Your honor, the prosecutor has no more questions."

"Does the defendant have any questions?"

ML shakes his head. "No."

"Then, can you call your third witness?"

ML looks at the door. "They just ran out. We'll have to summon our fourth."

"That is fine. Please call them."

The construction worker steps up to the podium.

"You have first hand experience with monsters, right?" ML asks.

The builder wrings his hands. "True."

"Tell us about it."

"I, I was working at a small community, installing a water fountain when something emerged from the forest. It was a monster, carrying a small human child. It lay it down not five meters in front of me. I approached it and it..." The builder pauses to collect strength. "It attacked me."

ML nods.

"The people around me managed to route it and it fled with the child. I survived the attack, but only barely."

"How did you survive?"

He looks at you and you nod in approval.

"I was healed, by magic. Human magic. It's the reason I'm alive now."

"Thank you."

ML turns to Asgore and Asgore replaces the worker in the booth.

"My king, tell us about the monster that attacked the human village."

Asgore bends down to the microphone. "It was my child."

Like a tsunami the words wash over the court, and like the the sound of receding water the court room bursts into whispers. A judge is forced to silence the crowd.

"A while ago a human child fell into the Underground," Asgore continues. "They became a part of my family, and I loved them like they were my own. We lived happy, they were happy, but one day something tragic happened." He looks at the chair where Toriel sat. "They died. My son, Asriel, absorbed their soul and passed through the barrier. He wanted to take the human back to their home on the surface. What he didn't know was that by absorbing humanity something changed inside him. My son, who wouldn't hurt a fly without crying." A weak scoff shakes the wet fur on Asgore's face, and drops of tears fall down. "My son, attacked a human. He had absorbed the crimson heart, a red soul, and it forced his hand. In a fury I called for the death of any human that fell down. I was to use their souls to break the Barrier and take revenge upon the humans. I do not plead innocence for the deaths, but they were not murders. I acted in self defense, to protect my people. A curse shattered my family, and its echoes still haunts the Underground."

"Objection," the human lawyer demands.

"Granted," says a monster judge.

"I'm sorry, Asgore, I find this very hard to believe, do you have any proof of this so called crimson heart?" the human lawyer asks.

"Can the pastor once again come up to the witness stand?" asks ML. The pastor walks up and waits patiently for Asgore to move out of the way before seating himself again.

"Father, can you explain to the crowd what the curse of the crimson heart is?"

"How do you know about it?"

"That's not important. Please, can you tell us?"

The pastor glances towards you before returning his eyes to ML. "The curse of the crimson heart speaks of a person who's soul is red like blood, and who possesses an unstable power called determination. Not much is known about the nature of determination, but there are signs that it only manifests in the presence of magic."

"Is there a human present here with the crimson heart?"

"Yes." A finger is pointed towards you. "We have a cursed being among us."

You feel hundreds of eyes staring at you.

"Thank you, father."

ML turns to you. "Can you please come up?"

The eyes follow you all the way to the podium. You seat yourself and look out over the crowd. The monster jury is whispering, and so are the humans. ML and Asgore approach you. "We are now going to summon the crimson heart. We will create an aura of magic around this human." ML explains. "The aura will be harmless."

"How can you be so sure? You are using magic on my witness," the human lawyer asks. "I don't have trouble with magic, but I need to be sure. Where's your proof?"

ML smiles. "You've been sitting in one for the entire trial."

A bubble forms around the human lawyer and shatters into small glittering pieces with a silent poof. He shields himself from the shards, but they evaporate almost instantly.

"Do you feel any different?" ML asks.

The human lawyer pats himself. "No."

"Then there's your proof."

Asgore looks you in the eyes. "Please forgive me for this," he says quietly.

Suddenly the air around feels, heavier, like it's been filled with something. You look at your hands, they're normal. You don't feel any different.

A couple of minutes pass, and you shake your head every time Asgore tells you how you feel. You grow tired of this, it's obviously not working. What's this supposed to prove anyway? You've been nice to them ever since they set foot on the surface. You gave them shelter, you've schooled their kids, and this is the thank you get? If you could do the reset thing Flowey was talking about you would've done things differently if this is all it has led to. You laugh at the idea. You laugh at what you would've done. You laugh at the begging they would've done.

"Human, how are you feeling?" Asgore asks you, again.

You open your eyes and look into his. Yours are reflecting in his, red.

Good.

You feel a grin taking root on your face. "How I'm feeling?" Asgore lowers his head and steps aside. The crowd gasps but you just raise an eyebrow in answer. "Asgore, how did you kill those kids? Did you slash them open with that trident of yours? Hey, why don't you let me have a feel? I plan to use it on my next lesson." You look ML deep in his eyes. "I'll let MK be the first volunteer."

ML cowers and Asgore steps in front of him with a stern look. "Human, this is not you. It's your soul. Just take a deep breath. You've already proven enough." He turns his head. "ML, remove the aura."

Like dust of someone who dare stand in your way the aura shatters and fills the air around you. Some land on your burning cheeks. You brush them off and rub the dust in your hand. It feels good.

"When I was in the Underground I saw a house very similar to yours, Asgore. It had a tree outside, a withered tree. Around the tree was a dried up patch of flowers, they were covered in dust."

You blow on the dust and it falls gently between you and Asgore. "Was that were Asriel died?"

Asgore looks away. "Human, the determination should fade away any moment now, just be quiet."

How dare he talk to you that way?

"Did I sweep your dead son with my hand, Asgore? Did i pick up what was left of him? Did I scatter him to the wind when I walked over him?"

He stands with his back against you.

"Asgore! Look at me when I'm talking to you!" you yell at him as you slam open the podium door. "Asgore, answer me!"

"Human."

"It's not human to you! It is-"

A wave of pain ripples out from your back and your body freezes. A crackling sound can be heard behind you, and you lose control over your muscles. You fall down on the floor, stiff like a pillar. The hand on your heart returns and again it squeezes your strength out of you. You try to fight it, but without control of your body you don't know how. It tightens it grip, and with a last tug you lose consciousness.


	28. Dinner for Toriel

"So, what do you reckon Toriel would fancy for her appetizer?"

"Snails, if they exist that is," you answer with your arm over your shoulder trying to scratch your back. You can't really reach the part where the stun gun hit you. The wound doesn't hurt, but it always makes itself aware when you move your torso. It also itches really bad because of the cheap band aid over the wound.

"Can't see any on the menu. You think she'll be fine with some garlic bread?" the suit wonders.

You can't reach the wound and you give up. "I mean, who wouldn't?"

"I'm not as in depth in their culture as you are, even after the court," the suit reminds you.

You take a sip of water. "You disappointed over the result?"

She shakes her head. "Nah, my job was to figure out the fate of the seven children, and now it's up to my employers to figure out their next step. I couldn't care less about the result."

"Mhm. Yeah right."

The suit puts down the menu on the table. "Misinterpret me right, please. I was the prosecutor, but we and the monsters had two different goals. We wanted to know what happened to the children, and they wanted to make sure that their people are to be welcomed back." She picks up the menu again after shrugging a hand in the air. "I've no problem with the legislation we passed, and I'm not bitter because we quote unquote, lost. Speaking of bitter, you think she wants something stiff to drink for the meal?"

"Is the lawyer OK with his son being dead?"

The suit peeks at you from atop the menu. "Not the most romantic way to put it, but yes, as much as a parent can be. The monsters have arranged for transportation and a proper goodbye. It's closing an open wound he's had for a while now. I just hope he doesn't lose his spark."

"That's a bit cold to say."

You shoo away a joke about the lawyer's son in your head.

"He tore into this case like a wolf, worked tirelessly. Now that he's reached what he thought was an impossible goal I want him to retain at least some of that energy."

You nod. "You two close?"

"I provide the evidence, he provides the argument."

You drink some more water. "Fair enough."

The suit puts down the menu for a second time. "I never would've thought Asgore would confess like that. Wait, you were present when he confessed, right?"

"Yes, I'm pretty sure I heard that before the, um..."

The wounds reminds you that they're present.

The suit leans back in their chair. "I had some suspicions as to what he'd done, but I wasn't close at all."

"Suspicions about what?" you ask as you lift your glass again.

"Him not being together with Toriel. I reasoned that it had to be something huge for her to leave his silver tongue."

The water takes a wrong turn and ends up in your lungs. You cough in reflex and the suit gives you a look. "I didn't mean it like that."

You manage to clear your throat just before Toriel arrives. She's wearing a robe not unlike her normal one, but it looks more royal, somehow. Despite her size she moves gently through the crowded restaurant. Heads follow her and the suit frowns a bit. She whistles for a waiter and whispers something in their ear. The waiter nods nervously and leaves quickly.

A couple of seconds later smooth jazz starts playing. The heads return to their own business and Toriel arrives at the table. The suit stands up and extends her hand. She takes it with a smile, and you offer yours next. You also get a smile, but it's a bit less brighter. Toriel seats herself and removes her sunglasses.

"Glad you could accept my invitation," the suit smiles.

"Me too. I've waited a long time for this. Your human restaurants are not so different from ours," Toriel answers as she takes in her surroundings.

"Seems to be a pattern," you add.

"Indeed," the suit agrees. "If I may, Toriel, I would recommend the chicken."

"Thank you, but I'd like to look through the menu if it's OK with you."

She opens the menu and you can see the suit's eyes widen.

"Oh, Toriel, you have something on your cheek."

"Do I? How embarrassing, excuse me."

She leaves for the bathroom.

"Why did you do that?" you ask the suit. She nervously taps on a picture on the second page.

"The chef's special! Whisky marinated lamb served with sweet potato," the suit proudly proclaims.

You nod and give her an approving thumb. "Good thinking. Why not recommend the salad though?"

"That might come off as racist," the suit whispers. "Because..you know?"

"True, again good thinking. By the way, please don't tell her about what I did at the trial. Said as well."

The suit nods. "The government signs both the law and my paycheck so my lips are sealed. You have my word."

"Thank you."

Toriel returns to a few minutes later and discovers that there's no menu on the table.

"I took the liberty of ordering for you," explains the suit.

She furrows her brow. "I'm flattered, but why?"

"I told you I would treat you to dinner and I ordered the best treat they have available."

Her face loosens up a bit. "If that's the case, thank you." It's still a bit suspicious of the suit's action.

"I also ordered this!" The suit moves the ice bucket closer to Toriel, and lifts up a beautiful looking bottle. "They didn't have anything from before the Barrier, but I hope that it'll suffice." She opens it and pours you all a glass. "To the new citizen of our little town," the suit toasts.

Toriel smiles, and nods in thanks before you all take a sip. Strong, but still smooth. Really smooth, like silk. The taste lingers in your mouth and it feels like walking through the very vineyard it was grown in. You're curious what Toriel thinks of it, but her face is not as lit up as you would've thought.

"You got some cork in yours?" the suit asks. She's also noticed Toriel's questioning face.

"Oh, no, the wine is fine."

"But you're used to something more royal?" you pry.

"Perhaps. I do thank you for it, it's been a long time since I've had a drink," she admits.

"You don't strike me as someone that would have one, if you excuse me for assuming," says the suit.

Toriel smiles shyly. "I was young once."

The suit returns a smirk. "Intriguing. Pray tell, what does young monsters do?"

Toriel looks around. "This is not an appropriate place to discuss."

"Toriel, you never told me that you had a wild side, a monster behind the monster," you say with flair in your voice.

"Let's just say that I've not always been a queen, so I've not always acted like one," she laughs.

You and the suit share an amused look.

"Now you have to tell us," you say.

"When the time is right," Toriel teases.

"When would that be?" you pry.

"No idea," she answers as she takes another sip.

A waiter brings in a basket of garlic bread, and your company helps themselves to one each. Out of the corner of your eye you see the waiter looking back towards your table.

"So, when are we gonna see new monsters popping up?" the suit asks.

"When we're done with our new capital, and when or if they want."

"You're still looking for a plot of land?" the suit continues.

"Yes. We have some candidates, but I wouldn't call them capital worthy."

"As in not enough beachfront property?" you joke.

"That and the fact that it is supposed to fit an entire nation."

"Nation as in human nation? Because then I think you may have some trouble," you warn her.

"I'm not sure what you define as a nation. If I put it like this, we can't possibly fit in this city, not unless we expand it at least threefold."

"You plan to move the school there?" the suit asks.

"When the time comes, yes."

"Then perhaps you could build another house, for me," you suggest.

Toriel's face lights up in excitement. "You want to come with us?"

"My job is gonna move I don't know how long away, so perhaps I should follow it," you explain with a shrug.

"We would love that. Humans will of course be welcome as well."

"Will there be snail restaurants?"

Toriel laughs and swats the air in front of you. "I'll make sure that they're labeled properly."

"How am I supposed to get anxiety for an entire day then?"

She laughs again.

"I'm gonna take this moment you two have and excuse myself. I have to use the bathroom," the suit interjects. "The food will not be here for a while so I might as well."

You and Toriel nod, and the suit leaves.

Toriel waits until the suit is out of sigh before swirling the wine in her glass. After a while she looks at you with concerning eyes. "Human, what I did at the trial, I wasn't blaming you. I just couldn't hear my own voice saying all those things, those, memories." She puts a hand over yours, it is warm and fuzzy. "Forgive me for not telling you them personally. Instead you had to hear them from that awful flower."

You put your other hand over hers. "Toriel, you can't blame yourself for what you did. I can't imagine anyone making rational decisions after losing a child, let alone two. You are not capable of doing those things anymore, if it is any comfort." You look her in her shaking eyes. "The Toriel I know is not the one Flowey told me about. None of you are. I don't know how long he may have known you, but he only knew the Underground version, the jailed version. He doesn't know who you are when you're no longer a prisoner."

She wipes away a tear. "Thank you, for saying that."

"So now would be a good time to ask for a raise?"

Toriel gently strokes your cheek. "I'm so happy that you stumbled into our lives."

You lean into her hand. "So am I." Toriel returns your hand to you and wit it you take another bread. "How are the others coping with the trial?"

"Alphys and Undyne have calmed down, they've also realized that they fell in love despite them knowing the things the other had done. Alphys a bit more than Undyne. They are together again."

"Glad to hear that. Asgore?"

"Asgore, he's been too busy dealing with the aftermath. Legislation, citizenship, the construction. He seems to be turning over his new chapter as well."

"But?"

Her voice lowers. "But I still see him as he was in Underground, and I don't think I'll ever see him as anything else."

"Maybe you're not willing to turn over your new chapter. Not completely that is."

"Perhaps you're right, but I don't know. The things he did."

You curse Flowey for the things he said. Toriel could've heard how Asgore reasoned, how he wanted to protect his people. Though then she would've also seen your...episode. You come to the conclusion that Flowey created the lesser of two evils. You still curse him though. Toriel takes another sip and you do the same.

"So," you remember. "I heard the wonderful news. I would imagine Frisk being very happy when you broke it to them."

Her face lights up again. "I've never seen something so small smile so big. We had a moment together. They stained my dress until it was wetter than the Waterfall, but I let them."

"Feels good to be 'Mother Toriel' again?"

She dries off another tear. "Very much so, yes."

You nod to yourself. "Frisk Dreemurr, cool name. Was there any problem with the adoption?"

"Asgore told me that he took care of it at the trial, and he was true to his words. I just had to sign a few papers. They're now my child in the eyes of your government."

You see another tear form in her eye.

"After everything you've gone through, Toriel, you deserve it. Frisk wanted it, you wanted it. You'll make a great Surface mom." You tap your glass. "Will there be a Surface dad for Frisk as well?"

"He said that he would cosign when I felt comfortable with it."

"Then perhaps it is time for you to see past his jail."

"One day, I do really hope I can."

You raise your glass. "To you and Frisk then and for the possibility of a future Surface dad."

The two of you clink your glasses together. Hers is more empty than yours. Yours is almost half empty when you set it back down while she sets down an empty one.

"Allow me," the suit offer and refills Toriel's glass with a smile.

"Thank you."

The suit sits down. "No food yet?"

"Not for us, no," Toriel answers after another sip of wine.

"Good, didn't want to return to a cold plate. So, Toriel, how does life on the Surface compare to the life Underground?"

"It's a lot brighter."

The suit smirks and so do you. Toriel laughs at her own joke and the suit toasts to her again.

The food finally comes after a bit more waiting and you have a bit of yours. It's good.

"What did you say this was again?" Toriel asks.

"Chicken," answers the suit.

She cuts up a piece and inspects it.

"Is it pink?" the suit wonders.

"Should it be?"

"Oh deary me, no."

"It is white inside," Toriel relays.

"That means it's good. It also pairs well with the wine."

She takes a bite and a sip of wine, "It does, thank you."

You join the restaurant wide orchestra of utensils clinking together. Your table is just one of many and you realize how wonderful it makes you feel. Monsters are back and now they're here to stay and it seems like people are opening up to the idea. You smile at Toriel eating human food at a human restaurant with human patrons at her side. She seems happy, very happy. You lean back and swirl your glass before taking a sip. It tastes like change. It tastes good.

"Excuse me," says a voice next to your ear.

You almost fall out of your chair and after some flailing you clumsily jump closer to the table with it. A waiter passes you and you feel your face heating up. Luckily Toriel didn't see that. The suit did and she's smirking. Toriel lifts up her head and you can hear her finding something in the air with her nose.

"What's that amazing smell?" she asks.

You turn around and see that the waiter was carrying the chef's special. You feel yourself stiffen up. The suit's face is contorted in thought. Toriel spots the waiter and finishes her glass in one fell swoop before walking over. You can see the table she approaches looking at her with perplexed eyes. She bows her head and talks with them for a while. You and the suit sit there, waiting.

"Should we do something? Intercept?" you ask with a shaky voice.

"I, I don't know. What if she lashes out against them? She's had three glasses. How does alcohol affect monsters?"

"I ain't got the foggiest."

"You've never had a drink with them?" the suit whispers loudly.

"Where would I have it? In class?" you spit back.

The suit hushes you and points toward the table where Toriel is. She bends over and picks up a piece with a fork. You look over to her seat and see that hers is not there. She eats the piece and your mind rushes with the worst possible scenarios. You put a hand on the back of the chair so you can push off it if something happens. But nothing happens. She bows again and returns. With a quizzical look she inspects you and the suit.

"Why are you so tense? Did I do something wrong?" she asks.

"Um, what, what did you ask them?" the suit stumbles out.

"Turns out the chef has a special with lamb and sweet potato."

She takes a breath and you hold yours in.

"It tastes like it smells, amazing. Why didn't you order it for me?" Toriel asks the suit.

"I, uh, I thought, you know."

Toriel furrows her brow. "No, I don't."

"Lamb, goat, you, kid," the suit tries to explain with her hands.

"I'm not a goat, I'm a monster."

The suit smiles sheepishly. "Yes, but."

"But you see me as a goat?" Toriel confronts.

"No, never," the suit defends. "I just thought that the resemblance would leave a bad taste in your mouth."

"seems to be the opposite to me."

A breeze makes the table cloth dance around your legs.

"Sans, is that you?" Toriel asks the hooded figure.

You look down his pocket and see his bony hand. "Sure looks like it," you confirm.

"Who is Sans? Why is he here?" the suit asks. Sans looks up a bit and shows his face to the suit who jumps a bit in her seat.

"my bro and his commanding officer is on their way here to escort toriel and the guest of honor to the unveiling of the above lab."

You point to yourself.

"yes."

"Undyne and Papyrus?" you ask. "Both?"

"yes. i overheard them and thought i would give you a heads up."

You nod. "Where are they now?"

Sans beckons his head towards the exit. "right around the corner. i should be able to hold them off for a minute or so, but pap is set on proving that he's worthy."

"I guess that means making a scene here in the restaurant?" you deduce.

"yup, he's cool and all, but I don't think the people here want to see a skeleton march in. might turn some heads." Sans shrugs. "if it was just you i would tell him to go right ahead, but now that toriel is here."

"Then maybe we should leave before we cause a stir for the other guests here," Toriel proposes.

She stands up and you and the suit follows. She take Toriel's hand and then yours. Then she turns around to see Sans offering his from under his stained pocket. The suit nods instead and Sans seems happy with it.

"Thank you for the meal," Toriel says.

"Thank you for the company," the suit answers. "Maybe we can have it a bit longer next time."

You, Toriel, and Sans leave and step out into the sunset. Toriel puts on her sunglasses and turns her face to the sun. You do the same.

"What do you think guest of honor means?" you ask Toriel with your eyes still closed towards the sun.

"I don't know. Asgore likes his secrets. Do you have any ideas, Sans?"

She gets a snore in answer.

"Helpful as always, Sans," you comment.

Another snore.

After a couple of minutes you hear some tires screeching.

"Must be Papyrus." You nudge Sans. "You coming with us, Sans?" you ask the empty space between you and Toriel. A small gust of wind tells of Sans' departure.

Not a second later a black limousine pulls up and the back door is opened. Undyne steps out in her armor with a spear forming in her hand.

"You can't resist doing that, can you?" you ask her with crossed arms.

She spins it in her hands. "Do what?"

"Spear it out, or whatever you call it, every time."

She tosses it in the air before catching it between two fingers. "Sounds like jealousy to me."

You share a laugh and she invites you inside the car. You let Toriel in first before seating yourself next to her. Undyne knocks twice on the roof with her spear before she closes the door. A small window opens between you and Toriel and Papyrus' head peeks through.

"GOOD EVENING, MY QUEEN! TO YOU TOO, HUMAN!"

The tip of his hat hits your nose as he turns towards you. "ARE WE READY TO BE DRIVEN BY ME, THE GREAT PAPYRUS?"

"Certainly, please take us to Asgore," Toriel asks with a gentle voice.

"WILL DO!" Papyrus responds with a not so gentle voice. He disappears back and a second later you hear the engine start. You barely manage to scramble for the seat belt before it has to do its job.

A bumpy ride later you spot a white building resting at the foot of Mt Ebott. The car stops, and once again the seat belt buries itself in your chest. Undyne forms another spear as she leaves the car. You exit and see her standing at salute with her spear firmly at her side. As you help Toriel out Undyne introduces you to the public in front.

"Make way for the Queen and the guest of honor!" she commands. You and Toriel follow her to a podium. Behind it stands Asgore in a sharp suit. You can hear Toriel gasp at the sight of him. He welcomes you and Toriel, and invites you two up beside him. He then turns to the crowd.

"I stand before the first cooperation between humans and monsters. In this very building we will, together, rebuild the bond that was broken. In here we will research a better future for us, for both humans and monsters alike. I present to you, 'Above Lab'!"

He conjures up a fireball in his hand and tosses it up towards the building. It hits a large piece of fabric that burns rapidly to reveal a large brass symbol picturing a human hand and a monster limb shaking in front of Mt Ebott.

"May science and magic be one once again!" he declares with pride.

The crowd cheers at the spectacle and Asgore turns to you and Toriel.

"Want to be the first visitors?"


	29. A new chapter

The double doors open up and you enter a big lobby.

"This is the main lobby where we will be holding tours and press conferences. It's been designed to take into account odd numbered limbs as well as tail only monsters. Magic or DNA identification will be necessary to access the rest of the facility," Asgore explains proudly to the crowd of people he brought with him inside Above Lab for the first time. You follow him through the busy lobby. Workers are assembling various kinds of exhibitions that describe science and magic.

"Over here we will have the corner of explanation," Asgore continues. You see Toriel snicker a bit. "Here we will be providing explanations as to how science works for monsters, and for humans we will have explanations for magic. We have assembled a group to tackle conveying the information as easily and smoothly as possible. More on that later. Over here we will install a mural that symbolizes the collaboration between our species. A bigger and more expansive piece than the one outside."

The tour goes on for a while with a never ending supply of excitement and pride from Asgore, but there's only so much white space you can be promised to be amazed by in the future before you lose a bit of interest. Toriel seems to be the opposite and despite just finishing a meal she's got a pair of hungry eyes looking towards Asgore. Her hand is failing to hide her smile. Asgore catches her eyes and she lets hers wander away. He sees Toriel blushing and his face lights up more.

"so being an honorable guest means that you walk around in a white room. fun," you hear Sans say next to you. He's on the opposite side of Toriel.

You nudge him with your elbow. "You can't fault him for being so excited now can you?"

"he's the king, all right," he nudges you back- "you wanna see something more exciting?"

"What could be more exciting than walking around an empty room? Wait, a big empty room."

"guess i'll go behind the doors myself then."

You bend you head to him, Toriel doesn't notice. "How?" you whisper to him.

Sans spins an ID card between his fingers, your face is on it. "i think asgore wanted it to be a surprise, but with the amount of glee he is riding on now he might forget to give it to you later. i took the liberty of making sure that you got it," he explains as he gives it to you. It has a sleek design and you admire it for a bit.

"So, how do you plan for us to slip out unnoticed?" You lift your head and see that you're standing in front of a door. A breeze passes you and Sans. "Stupid question."

"your words."

You swipe the card and a light on the console turns orange. Sans takes your hand and puts it on a screen. You feel something scrape against it and after a couple of seconds the light turns green. The door unlocks and before you close it you turn your head to see Asgore's group walking away from you.

"So what now?" you ask as you inspect your hand. There's a bit of skin missing, but it's not bleeding.

Sans looks around. "not a clue. keep a look out while i check the map."

"And where would that map be?"

You don't get an answer, and you look around to see that the corridor is empty. You roll your eyes and lean yourself against a wall.

Minutes pass and you finally hear footsteps closing in on you, but they are not Sans'. Two monsters in lab coats come around the corner. They stop talking and look at you. You smile and wave. They return it and continue with their conversation.

"You got the demonstration up and running?" asks a purple monster with four eyes.

"Managed just in time. I wonder how the humans will react," answers the other one. They're yellow and have three arms.

"A bit of sparkles, some conjuration. I think they'll be stunned beyond belief."

"I'd love to see their reactions!" The yellow monster snap their claws. "You think they're gonna film it?"

"Probably. Watch it together later?"

"Sure."

They enter a door and the corridor goes silent again.

The clean white color mixed with young and eager light fixtures is not doing your eyes any favors. You close them.

"we sleeping on the job?"

"I was just resting my eyes, Sans. All this white is making my head hurt a bit," you explain with a hand towards the light.

He shakes his head and gives you a disapproving look. "i would never do that."

You hear fabric getting rustled, and see that Sans' jacket is filled with more than just one full set of skeleton. "Sans, why is Frisk here?"

He lets Frisk out of his jacket. "i need their help."

"With?"

"stuff," he explains thoroughly.

"As always."

Sans and Frisk pass you.

"this way," he beckons for you.

"Where to?"

"stuff," he details again.

"What kind of stuff?"

He shakes his head. "that would be spoiling it. come on. i need your help as well."

You round the corner with them. "So where to?"

"this way, obviously."

You pinch your nose bridge. "OK, and why do you need me and Frisk?"

"dna."

You bend down to him. "Come again?"

He pushes your head back up. "since i can't access with my magic we need to try with your and or frisk's dna."

"So we're breaking and entering?"

You spot a camera. A bit worryingly.

"and here i was under the impression that you did things for toriel."

"Vague won't get you my DNA. What is scheming in that head of yours?"

"stuff."

You sigh and turn your head towards the child. "Frisk, do you know what stuff he's talking about?"

They tug on Sans' jacket and he nods. "heard them too, kiddo. let's hide in here."

He motions for you to open a nearby door. You want to ask why, but you hear the sound of multiple footsteps closing in. A thick, burly voice leads them through the corridors. Asgore!

The door unlocks after some silent cursing from you fiddling with your card, and you dive under the window pane separating the room from the corridor.

"And this is where we will be holding the demonstration. I will unfortunately not be present because I'm needed elsewhere," you hear Asgore explain through the glass. The footsteps return for a couple of seconds and then you hear the door closing.

"Asgore," you hear Toriel say.

You see his shadow stop. "Yes?"

"You're not needed somewhere else." The sound of a smooth kiss has you trading looks with Frisk. "You're needed right here."

Asgore's shadow shakes a bit. "Toriel, I-"

"I've not been fair to you, Asgore. I couldn't see past what you were, but up here you have been the king I fell in love with. I'm ready to start my new chapter now, Asgore. I'm ready to start it with you. Come, let's walk."

"Golly, sure. Anything for you, Toriel."

"Dear," Toriel corrects.

"Anything for you, dear."

You peek your head over the edge of the glass to see Toriel and Asgore walking away hand in hand. She's leaning her head against his shoulder. You motion for Frisk to stand up and a smile forms on their lips as you help them look over the glass. You ruffle their hair. "Looks like you might be getting better tea for your breakfast from now on."

You set Frisk down and Sans clears his throat. "the stuff."

"Oh, yeah. Let's go."

You close the door behind you and Frisk skips ahead with the biggest smile they can muster.

"By the way, Sans. These video cameras," you ask after a couple of minutes of walking.

"the guard on duty is, busy, at the moment."

"How do you mean busy, exactly?"

"oh look, we're here."

A thick door with a yellow sign warns of unstable magic.

You point at the sign. "Sans, we're not bringing Frisk in there. I'm a bit on the fence about going in myself."

He shrugs. "eh, it's just to scare people. the magic is not unstable. shouldn't be while alphys is on call."

"Alphys is in there, doing what?"

He knocks on the console with a carefull knuckle. "guess you have to consoleidate your options if you want to know."

You swipe your card and put your hand against the screen. The light stays orange. Sans lifts up Frisk with his magic and they put their hand against the screen. The light turns green immediately, and the door opens with an ominous hiss.

"That to scare people away as well?" you comment.

Sans ignores your question and walks right in.

The door closes behind you and Frisk with another hiss. Inside is a machine unlike anyone you've ever seen. Computer terminals and servers litter the walls of the wide room, and on the far side wall is a metallic constructs made to look like a circle. Thick tubes run from it, and underneath it is a control panel with Alphys hunched over it.

"a bit of an upgrade, isn't it?"

She jumps with a squeal. "S-Sans! W-what're you doing h-here?"

He takes in his surroundings. "we're on tour. checking out the lab, and i figured we'd pop in to say hi."

"B-B-ut, you're n-not supposed to b-be here."

Sans walks closer to Alphys. "and neither should you be, for that matter."

"I-I was g-given t-this position," she defends.

"doesn't matter. we need to use it."

Alphys starts shivering, "T-t-he machine?"

"i know that it is finished, alphys." Sans takes a seat next to a computer. "we need to try to get a hold of someone. frisk's idea."

He turns to you and points to a monitor. "read out the values to me would you."

You don't move. "What are we doing?"

"calling an old friend."

You shake your head. "Enough with your vagueness. I want answers."

"so do i."

"Sans."

He points to you again. "i'm gonna ask you one more time as nice sans." His eyes disappears. "read me the values," he commands with a frightening voice. Frisk steps up, but you push them behind you.

You make sure you position yourself between Sans and Frisk as you slowly walk over to the computer Sans is pointing at. "This long term investment is looking pretty bad now, skelebro."

He ignores your remark. "first value?"

You read out the values and Sans enters them into his computer.

"good, now stand there and inform me if the screen starts malfunctioning. alphys, take station two." She hesitates for a second. "station. two," Sans repeats hard.

She waddles over to the other wall and powers on a server. Sans and Alphys give each other information. You lean back on a table to try and decide how the hell you should feel about this. You sit yourself on something sharp and you pick it up from behind your back to see what it is. A clipboard.

"Human physics," it reads. You skim it through. An array of numbers and graphs cover the papers, all incomprehensible to you. Incomprehensible, but not unfamiliar. A couple of numbers at the bottom of a paper looks out of place. Your eyes shoot wide open. They're in your handwriting!

"activate."

"No! Stop!" you scream out.

The metallic construct bends and twists in on itself with sparks shooting out of it.

"reroute to overflow."

Alphys nods and moves to another computer.

"Sans, the machine is broken!" you shout so they can hear your words over the malfunctioning computers.

"i planned for this. alphys, is the overflow holding?"

She backs up from the computer. "N-No."

He snaps his head around. "no? the human scientist said that it would hold."

"They're using my numbers!" you scream over the pained metallic sound emanating from the construct.

Sans and Alphys stop.

"I-I wrote something down. I didn't know it was important. I-"

Alphys collapses in tears and Sans looks at you with vacant eyes. A blue spark ignites his left eye. A darkness fills the room, absorbing every light in its path. The only thing visible is Sans' eye. A hollow wail echoes out from the construct. You feel Frisk clasping your leg and you put your hand over their ear. Sans raises his hand and a skull forms next to him. A large, animal like skull. It grins as he does.

A beam of energy explodes out from the void behind him and almost hits you. It bursts open the door with a deafening sound. Another howl causes the entire room to shake and Sans looks down at Frisk. You feel their tears against your leg. Sans' shoulders drop and he starts laughing.

"this promise is going to be the death of me!" He lifts you and Frisk up and throw you out the door. "run! warn the others!"

You scramble on your feet and pick up Frisk.

"is this how you greet old friends?" you hear Sans snark.

Another energy beam is fired and you turn around to see dust fly out of the doorway.

"My friends," you hear Asgore say through a speaker in the roof. You look back and see the darkness crawling on the walls, chasing you.

"Long have we waited, long have we dreamed about the surface," the speaker continues. You take a corner too greedily and hit your knee. You scream out the pain and force yourself to continue.

"I would like to invite you all to the future! A future paved by both humans and monsters," Asgore finishes.

The double doors opens too slowly and you burst through them. Asgore and Toriel turn around and spot the darkness growing towards you and Frisk. They both summon fireballs in their hands and throw it against the oozing and twisting void behind you. The fires sizzle as soon as they touch it.

It stops for a while before exploding in retaliation. It scales the walls, absorbing the roof. Black tendrils snake their way up the outer walls of the Above Lab. They twist around the windows, the brass symbol, and stop at nothing. The ground right behind you is ripped up and crumpled. Metal and concrete bending into itself like this, it shouldn't be possible. The sound is causing your ears to bleed. With a dark growl the building collapses in on itself, leaving just a sphere of oozing void.

"No," you see Asgore whisper out.

A wave of heat hits you.

You blink, but you can't see anything. Your vision is blurry. You try to dry it away with your arm, but you poke yourself in the eye. You grasp at your eye, but you can't feel it. You try to rub your fingers against each other, but you don't feel them either. You want to shake your head, but the pain is arguing against you. You force your neck to obey and finally your vision clears. Fire rages around you. Rubble is scattered on the ground.

Amid the chaos you spot something white. Toriel. You call out for her, but she doesn't move. You try to stand up but, you lose your balance. With heavy arms you crawl towards her. Screams surround you, human screams. With pained breath in your lungs you finally reach her. She's covered in dust. You try to reach out for her, but as you lay weight on her she fades, and dust takes over her features. You try to hold her together, but she disappears in your arms. A white heart floats in front of you. It shakes. You try to grab it, but you miss it. You have no hand. The heart shatters where your hand should be. You scream, and fall to the ground causing her dust to flutter in the air. What's left of her falls gently on you, but she's swept away by the tears running down your cheek. You scream out for her again. This time you know she's not going to respond.

Another voice calls out for her. A tiny voice, a pained voice. It screams Asgore's and Toriel's name again and again.

"Frisk?" you shout back. A tiny human walks closer to you. They struggle with their balance and fall on their knees. You try to stand up, but your knees fail you as well. You fall down next to them and they collapse in your arms. Asgore's crown falls out of their hand and onto the ground.

"Frisk!"

They're not breathing.

"Frisk, you need to reset! Find me again, we can undo this!"

Nothing.

"Frisk!"

"Screw it. This, this is the day," you say to yourself as you wake up. This self pity has to stop, you have to move on with your life. But wait, haven't you already done that? You can't stay inside your house forever, you made a promise. Yes, but, haven't you already fulfilled it?

It is a beautiful day outside, maybe you should take a jog to freshen up your mind. Some exercise to mark a new chapter in your life, sounds good to you. You thrust yourself out of your bed and rush down to the kitchen to get some breakfast. Why is your fridge this empty? Didn't you refill it just a couple of days ago?

You open the patio door and whistle. Why did you whistle? What are you doing on the patio? Breakfast in the sun, perhaps? After a quick one you scour the hallway closet for your running shoes. You smile as you manage to get them on your feet. The excitement of doing something is a feeling you've almost forgotten and the smile stays as you lock the door.

As you round the corner you find some wild flowers and stop to pick them up. White and yellow flowers, no. No, not those. Not that color. You retract your hand, breathe out and start your run.

As you reach the base of the mountain you wonder if you should take the road up. You try to look for it, but you don't find it. Weird. You decide to take the secret passageway your mother told you about instead.

The path is overgrown, and you have to fight some stubborn branches to see the start of it. It is a tiny path, almost unrecognizable because of how rarely it's used. You wager that you're the first one to use it in months. Hopefully you remember the general direction it leads to. It is a very serene path, untamed forest grow on both sides creating a tunnel of green. The shadows from the leafs above you meld together into a layer of gray on the ground as the sun disappears behind the clouds. The wind picks up, but you're isolated from it though under the trees. Despite the low visibility you still carry on.

While you steadily climb the mountain you begin to wonder about the legend that surrounds the mountain, that people that climb it never return. You shake your head at the idea. You've been up this mountain plenty of times. Right? Have you? The legends could just be that, legends. Despite the idea sticking even after your effort to shake it loose you still carry on.

A couple of minutes later you start to feel the sun peeking out from its hiding spot and the path turns into a kaleidoscope of green, brown and orange. Sun shafts dance above you, moving as you do. You see the veins of the leafs, dark scars on a light green film. You take a deep breath and remind yourself that this was a good idea.

The sun wastes no time warming your surroundings, and you feel yourself working up a bigger sweat than before. You take a drink of water. Good thing you remembered this time. This time? Despite that weird thought you still carry on.

You wonder if an earthquake would be possible here. Earthquake? Here? How? The mountain is as steady as, well, a mountain. It has never moved for as long as you can remember. It is pretty hollow though so there could theoretically be a possibility. You read that, somewhere. Despite more weird thoughts you still carry on.

The plateau creeps closer and closer as the sun starts to set. You take another sip of water to refresh yourself. A few minutes of controlled breathing later the ground flattens and your steps become easier to take.

The sun is now at the horizon and you push yourself a bit harder since you feel that you have energy left. You round a corner and enter a cave. Wait. Why did you run in here? You can't see anything. Despite that you still manage to keep your footing. But how? It's like you've been inside here before. But you haven't? Have you?

The mountain suddenly shakes, and you lose your balance. You try to brace your fall, but there's no ground under your hands. Far below you is a yellow patch of flowers closing in quickly. With a hard impact you land and lose consciousness."

The child relaxes their pose. "Which brings us to here."

The last words bounce on invisible walls and the scene disappears. Left is a silent darkness, an empty void.

"So, now we can continue. How about I introduce myself first?" A nod is given in answer. "My name is Chara. I'm your twin."


	30. Another person

"OK, so, I'm dead?"

"No, not technically. You're just unable to live. Your body is not doing so well right now, and your soul is hanging on a thread." The child makes a heart with their hands. "You see, you have two entities that are you," they break the heart, "but they're not connected. Your soul might also be scarred from Frisk' reset so there's gonna take more than just plain healing to get you back on your feet unfortunately."

The fallen human gives the child a perplexed look. "Wait, I'm not in my body?"

"Your soul is outside it, hanging on for dear life. You need both to be whole so... Asriel is trying, but he's draining himself. Frisk is offering your soul shelter."

"Frisk?"

"Yes, they're too damn nice for their own good. Hopefully you'll not leak too much determination."

"So, where am I?"

The child sighs through their lips. "Not a clue, it's not where I was, but that could be because you're alive yet you're not."

"So, let me get this straight. Everything you said was true and this is real?"

The child nods. "Yep."

"How can I be sure? How did you find all this out?"

"OK, this is gonna get a bit complicated," Chara prepares by stretching their arms over their head.

"Now it is gonna get complicated?" the fallen human comments.

"Hilarious," Chara replies with an outstretched tongue. "Let's get the big one out of the way first. You're lying on me right now, my grave, and you're being healed by my sibling's, Asriel, magic. Frisk is also next to you, and when you combine you being my sibling, technically my soul influencing you, and Frisk being very close to you. Perhaps they're getting a dose of magic as well, hm. Anyway, your soul is probably blinding them and painting the entire cave red because of the amount of determination you're experiencing right now, and that's the reason you're not dead at the moment. If your soul was whole you wouldn't have any problem resetting at the moment, but since it was sliced up and then badly mended by your dad you're leaking determination like the Waterfall. I'm getting sidetracked now, aren't I?" Chara stops with a questioning hand.

They see the shock and bewilderment in their sibling's face and let out a scoff. "Told you it was gonna get complicated. OK, short version. One, magic and determination is keeping you alive. Two, because of all these connections you have to me I was able to sorta slip in here and access your soul's memory. Three, I have no idea how to get you out of here, in fact, I think I'm stuck here as well. All clear?"

The question hangs in the air for some time and the smile on Chara's face melts into a frown. They open their mouth to speak, but a  raised finger from their twin stops them. "No, not clear at all, but I'm still gonna roll with it. Right now it is my only lead to get out of here."

"Great! Now we're up to speed. So, do you feel any different? Anything you can perhaps use to get us out of here? Close your eyes, look inside you. Do you see like, a star or something?" Chara asks their sibling. Their sibling closes their eyes and squeeze their hands. After a minute the hands opens.

"Nope."

"Damn, Asriel and Frisk must be knee deep in determination now. OK, um, new plan." Chara squeezes their forehead as they think.

"Can't I use your determination or something?" the fallen human suggests.

"Since my soul is interwoven with Frisk's we'd have to kill them, and I'd rather not because I would then lose my only connection to the real world." Chara scratches their cheek. "You'd die as well, so. Not that I can reach them right now since I kinda dived straight in. I'm not blaming you, just thinking out loud."

Quiet hangs like a thick blanket in the air. Chara is going through multiple poses but none is giving them the idea they need. Next to them sits the last of the fallen humans. They have their head in their hands, trying to figure out if this is real or just in their head. There's no luck for them either.

The sound of a bell makes their heads shoot up. They look at each other with furrowed brows.

"I know that sound."

"Yeah, me too."

It rings again, this time a bit louder. Chara's face goes through an array of emotions before settling on mild shock when a leg steps in front of them.

"You're not thinking about going to them?" Chara snarks with some anger in their voice.

"Maybe they have some answers, they've been dead for a while as well. Dad knew magic too, didn't you say so?"

Chara turns around and crosses their arms. "I don't want to meet them. They're not my family."

"Sit here then. If I figure out how to get out of here I'll come back. Thank you for the story, if it was true that is."

The unnatural echo from their sibling's footsteps soon fade away leaving only the occasional ringing from that damned bell.

Chara lays down on the featureless floor and massages their throat. The silence is welcomed, but it would be more welcomed if that bell stopped. They can finally hear their own thoughts for once, but the thoughts are not what they expected them to be. Faces flash in their head, faces they want to forget. They try to swat them away, but the faces stay.

No, they left for a reason and that reason hasn't changed! They were happy in the Underground, they had a family. A real family. A family that treated them well! A family that didn't give them a curse. Chara never got an apology for that. Not that they would accept it if they got one. But, now that they have the chance...

The bell rings again. Chara looks at their reflection in the floor. A child stares back at them. A human child, not a monster child. A human child that had human parents. They rub the space where their ears would be if they were Toriel's kid, but they grab nothing but air.

The bell tolls again. Maybe just see what they want, have them apologize? Chara knows who their real family is, so just visiting this one wouldn't hurt. Right? With a grumble they stand up and wait for the bell to ring again before walking towards it.

A deep sigh echoes around its source even though there's no wall or roof in sight. The bell is the only thing providing a sense of direction. Question swim in the fallen human's head. Did the kid tell the truth? How can you forget your sibling? Maybe Mom and Dad can answer? Finally they get to see them again and give them a proper goodbye. But, why didn't they say anything about Chara? Is, was, Chara even their sibling? Did the kid lie? Again, how can you forget your sibling?

"Wait," Chara shouts against their sibling's back. To their relief they turn around.

"Change of heart?" the fallen human quips.

"Don't," Chara spits back.

"Sorry then."

Chara walks up next to their sibling and is offered a hand. They take it. "It's not because I'm a child, I'm just a bit tired," Chara explains.

They get a smile and a nod in return, "Sure you aren't."

"Telling your story takes a lot of effort."

Despite being helped by their sibling, Chara feels their legs getting heavier and heavier with every step. Their sibling feels it and squats down. "You want to sit on my shoulders?"

"No."

"OK then," the fallen human says before standing up.

"Wait."

They come face to face again.

"Yes."

Chara climbs up on their sibling's back and swing their legs over the shoulders.

"I'm still not a kid, dad," Chara says without thinking. They catch their mouth, but the words have already been spoken. They feel their face blush and their sibling laugh. "Stop it!" they command.

"Golly, if you say so," their sibling say with a poor imitation of Asgore. Chara crosses their arms again.

After some more walking a light appears and finally defines a horizon. A smile forms on both of the human's lips, but Chara's curls into a frown.

"Wait, is that the old house? Didn't they buy a new in the city?" Chara asks while scratching their head.

"Financial problems. We had to move back in. It's cozy, I like it."

Chara scoffs. "Really? What bout the lawn that was like, half weed and half more weed?"

"Eh, like you said, you get Undyne to cut it and then it looks good."

"It's nothing compared to Asgore's garden," Chara boasts.

"No, of course not. His garden is a masterpiece," the fallen human agrees. "Or at least that's what you told me."

"I can vouch for that if you don't believe your memory."

"The memory might be mine, but the words were yours," the fallen human tilts their head towards their sibling. "Did you really tell everything? There are some gaps, you know."

"Come on, I've never done that before! Telling another person's life to them. Cut me some slack."

The fallen human nods. "Why wasn't I afraid of the monsters when I first woke up?"

"You were, remember, I told you that. I might have skipped a bit of you sucking your thumb before going downstairs, but you bonded very fast with them. Same thing happened with Frisk in the Underground. They also filled in the void left by your family, didn't they?"

The fallen human cocks their head. "Did they?"

"Don't worry, if you get your soul back the memories should flow back sooner rather than later," Chara assures.

"And you know that, how?"

"The reason you're here, and the reason I had to tell you everything, is because your soul is outside your body meaning that you can't access the memories stored there."

"So bringing my soul back to my body should not only wake me up, but restore my memories," the fallen human finishes.

"That's my thinking."

"So why didn't I have them after the reset thing?"

"It was Frisk's reset, not yours. Which means that your head forgot them, but your soul still have them locked inside it. You just need to unlock them."

The fallen human puts a hand on their chest. "And how do I do that?"

"Not a clue, never seen it happen before. Probably determination."

"Maybe mom and dad know how."

"Who's is the kid now?" Chara teases.

"You rested enough to walk the last bit?"

Chara narrow their eyes, the light is still some ways off. "No."

"Then have it your way, my child." says another badly impersonation.

"Stop that, that's my mom."

"Isn't she mine as well? Didn't I adopt them? That what you meant by bonding?"

"No, you just bonded. Completely different."

The fallen human shrugs. "Semantics."

Chara shakes their head. "No."

"Yes."

"No, it is different," Chara spits back and throws a fist against their sibling's shoulder.

"Fine, fine. I was just joking. Relax."

"No fighting before dinner!" shouts a voice from an open window in the house. Chara almost fall off their mount as it stops in shock. They hear a silent whisper from below them.

"Dad?"

"You can also stop ringing the bell, we can see them now," the man continues with his head outside the window.

"Maybe you can! I don't have my glasses on me," replies another voice before ringing the bell even louder.

"Mom?" comes another whisper.

"Why did you stop? Food is gonna get cold!" the man yells before closing the window. The woman enters the house as well. Chara frowns.

"I don't like this," they comment. "Not a bit," but they don't get an answer. "Hello?" they try again. They bend over and see the stunned face of their sibling. They snap their fingers and it wakes up.

"What? Sorry, it's just... Let's continue."

The wooden gate squeaks as it opens. A pair of nervous eyes look around before walking up to their family.

"Um, could you set me down first?" Chara asks. "I'd rather not hit my head on the doorway."

"Oh, sorry," their sibling apologize as they help Chara down. "You wanna come in or do you want to wait outside?"

"Go inside to them? No."

"OK, wait here."

Chara looks around sarcastically. "Where else would I?"

The remark goes unnoticed as a shaky hand opens the door.

"Take off your shoes," a motherly voice says from the kitchen. "The table is set so have a seat."

"Y-yes, mom," replies the fallen human with an unsteady voice. They remove their shoes after some trouble with the knots and enters the living room.

On a sofa sits a small child reading. They notice the figure walking in and lower the book from their face. They see them stop and tears forming in the longing eyes. With spring in their step the small child rush towards the figure. Arms sweep them up and they're pressed against their lost siblings chest. The figure drops to its knees and tears flow into their little sister's hair.

"I'm so sorry," the fallen human begs. "I've missed you so much! Please, forgive me. I just wanted you to get home. I couldn't see you like that. I wanted you to come home with me. I love you, please forgive me!" Sobs and pleading fill the warmly lit room.

"I've missed you too," the small child comforts. "You couldn't have known, no one blames you."

"I do!" the fallen human cries out.

"You tried to help, no one can blame you for that."

They embrace their little sister harder. "I'm sorry. I, I'm just so happy to see you again."

"Could I get in on the hugging?" asks another voice before embracing it's lesser siblings.

"Bro! I've missed you too."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. I mean, who wouldn't miss me? I'm awesome!" He helps their lesser siblings up on their feet. "Now come eat with us, and dry your face, you look silly," the biggest sibling suggest before doing it himself.

The fallen human fights off their big brother. "Stop, stop, I'm coming. It's a lot for me, all this."

"You'll feel better with some grub in you. Come."

The three siblings walk together into the dining room. The table is set and they all take a seat. It's like nothing has happened. The fallen human tries to convince themselves that it is real, but outside the window they're facing there's not a shining sun, only darkness and the void.

"Wait, there's someone missing," notices a burly voice. "Didn't Chara come in with you?" He gets a shaking head in respond. "Right, I'll go get them," he says as he leaves.

A moment later he starts arguing with Chara outside the house. Voices are raised, and then a hearty laugh interrupts Chara. Chara's voice stays raised, but they only get nonchalant whistling as an answer.

"Here we are! Now we can finally have a real family dinner," the man proclaims as he places Chara in the last empty chair. Chara responds by sinking down in it.

"No frowns, child. This is supposed to be a happy dinner," comments a woman's voice as she brings in the food from the kitchen.

Chara turns in their chair. "You're not my mom."

"Yes, I am. Now stop frowning and pass along the food."

Chara passes the form to the smaller kid next to them. "I'm not hungry," they try to lie before their stomach tells on them.

"We have a rule at this table," the man reminds.

"Good for you, partner. But since I'm not a part of this family I don't have to follow it," Chara explains to the back of their chair.

"You got your father's mouth," comments the woman.

"No, I have not!" Chara shouts as they slam their hand on the table. "You're not my family! I have a better one."

"Really? Tell us about them," the woman asks with a gently voice.

"Well, for a starter they didn't give me a curse so that puts them way ahead of you right there. They also loved me, treated me with respect. I had a brother, a crybaby of a brother, but still. I filled the Underground with hope."

"Sounds wonderful."

Chara nods. "It was."

The woman can see their child sinking down again. "You don't have to continue if you don't want to," she reassures warmly.

Chara straightens out their back again. "No, why should I tell it to you, complete strangers?"

The form comes back to the man after being shared with table. He stands up and walks over to Chara and gives them a healthy serving.

"I told you, I'm not hungry. I'm not eating this, whatever it is."

"Ghost food," the man explains with a comically ominous voice.

"Stop it, dear," the woman says while failing to hide a laugh. "No, but seriously, eat your food, Chara. I don't want to see my children go hungry."

Chara slams another fist on the plate. It flips in the air and food rains down over the table.

"I'm not your kid! I wasn't treated as one! I wasn't loved!" they scream out. "How can you call me your kid, after all you did?" hey continue as tears starts running on their pinkish red cheeks. "Why? Please explain to me why I should ever consider you my family?" They curl up and bury their face into their legs. "Why?"

Sobs fill the stunned room.

The woman leans towards her husband. "Dear, can you clean that up and get Chara another plate?"

The man nods. "Sure, I'll get us some more water as well while I'm at it."

The woman then turns to the biggest sibling. "Why don't you take your little sister into the living room and help her with her reading?"

"Yeah, sure," he says as he takes his sister's hand and leaves.

"You should stay," the woman says to the fallen human. They nod and sit back down. " And Chara."

"Go away, leave me. Toriel is my mom, not you."

"Chara, I'm so sorry. For all we did. I know it is way too late but please, just let us explain."

Chara mumbles.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear that."

"OK," they mumble a bit louder as they turn back around. The woman dries off their cheeks.

"Your cheeks are so beautiful. I'm a bit jealous of you having them."

"Is that why you treated us like shit?"

"No cursing, please."

Chara jerks away their head from the woman's grip. "Look who's talking."

The man comes back with a plate and a container of water. He pours a round for the table. Chara takes it with a reluctant hand and drinks deeply. The man refills and they drink again. The third glass stays half empty.

"Chara," the woman starts.

"Why are you only telling me? Why not them?" Chara asks with a finger towards the fallen human. They reply with a furrowed brow. "What? Why aren't you angry as well? Did they apologize to you and not me?"

"Apologize for what? What are you talking about?" the fallen human asks with a confused look.

Chara's face turns red as blood. "Why can't they remember? What did you do to my twin? Do they even remember that I existed?" Chara yells out before stopping. They blink in realization. "Wait, the photograph. You ripped me out of it, didn't you?"

"It was taken after you were out of the picture," the biggest sibling laughs at his own joke. "Why else would I be in it? You know, the adopted son that filled in your gap."

"You're supposed to help your sister," retorts the man.

"I am, but reading is not very loud, and Chara is."

"Wait, stop. What does Chara mean by me being their twin? I would've remember it. I mean, I would, right?" the fallen human tries to explain. They put their head in their hands. "I don't know who I am anymore. What memories are really mine. Are you even real or is this just me dying? I'm so confused."

"You have every right to be. How about we start from the beginning so that we end up on the same page?" the man asks while rubbing the fallen human's shoulder. He gets a weak nod in return. "You and Chara came to us at a rough period in our lives. That doesn't excuse our actions, but it might help you understand them. Almost immediately we lost control, be it because of your curse or our ineptitude as parents, perhaps both."

"How did you find out about the curse?" the fallen human asks.

"Like the pastor told you at the trial, there are signs that can manifest in the presence of magic, and on a field trip we took up on Mt. Ebott you two disappeared into that cave. When we finally found you deep inside it you..." The man pauses to collect himself. "You attacked us, with glowing red eyes. With panic in our hearts we rushed you to the hospital, but when we got there your determination had disappeared. The pastor took notice and he told us about the curse and what it meant. Combine that with our financial troubles we broke down. We couldn't love you anymore, we tried so hard but every time we looked at you we just saw the curse waiting to strike. One day Chara found out about the barrier, I don't know how."

"I gave a shit, unlike you," Chara retorts angrily.

"One morning I got a call. A situation that had been plaguing me for as long as I could remember was finally solved. I felt renewed and for the first time in forever, I wanted to hug you. I wanted to tell my kids that we could finally be a family. I rushed to your room to give you the news, but you were gone. I found a note that said that Chara and you would enter the Underground and learn magic so that you could control your curse. My heart sank, and I rushed back downstairs to grab your mother, and together we traveled as quickly as we could to the mountain. We found the cave again and called for you over and over, but we didn't get a single answer. We only found you, Chara was nowhere to be seen. You were bleeding from your head, as if you'd hit your head on a rock or something."

"As they always do," Chara comments.

"With heavy hearts we took you to the hospital and put out a notice for Chara, but no one could find anything."

"That's because I was in the Underground with a family that loved me, I had no reason to go back," Chara reminds the table.

"You survived your injury, but your memory didn't," the man continues. "You woke up thinking you were our only child."

"You didn't try to tell them about me?" Chara asks with their hands on their chest.

The man turns to Chara. "We did, but they wouldn't accept it. They thought we were joking with them. We tried and we tried, but eventually we gave up. We missed you Chara, never doubt that, but we had to continue with our lives. We moved back to this house and adopted a new sibling to stop people from questioning why we only had one kid. Everything went smoothly until the day that monster came back with you."

Chara turns their back towards the table.

"Could you tell us what happened, Chara?" the man asks.

"Why would I?"

"Because you're our kid, and we want to know what happened to you."

Chara's shoulders sink. "It was me," they start with their back still facing the table. "My brother and I."

"I don't remember doing anything with you," says the biggest sibling from the living room.

"My real brother, Asriel," Chara growls back.

"Oh, sorry."

"Idiot," Chara comments with a rude gesture. "We had a plan to save the monsters, seven human souls and one monster soul would create a being strong enough to break the barrier, and then some. But a fusion between one human and one monster could travel through the barrier so we did just that." Chara examines their hands. "We were so strong, my brother and I, but when he saw my body he broke down. I felt him crying inside our shared body. I offered to take control and to carry on alone, but he refused. I picked up my body and carried it to my favorite spot."

"The patch of flowers?"

"Yes, I put my body down as Asriel kept crying inside of us. He'd almost forgotten why we did this. I slashed the first human I saw and I felt my determination rise. I was ready to do whatever it took to save the monsters. Another human came at me and I attacked him as well. He did manage to dodge a bit, but I still laid a claw on him. Then I, I saw-"

"Me," the fallen human finishes.

"I felt that I hit something small and as I turned around I saw your body. Your soul was leaving you and in that moment of shock Asriel regained control and fled with my corpse back to the Underground where we, um, died."

"I tried my best to heal you," explains the man to the fallen human, "but my magic wasn't strong enough, and because of that a piece of your soul disappeared. I thought I had lost you, but miraculously you survived that as well."

"Except now they have a broken soul," Chara adds.

"That why Asgore couldn't heal me?" the fallen human realizes.

"The fight you had with Flowey didn't involve any magic attacks, just physical. Your soul needs a lot of magic to open up and since healing magic is technically an attack Asgore couldn't heal you," Chara explains.

"I see, I think. But didn't Toriel heal my finger?"

"There's a huge difference between fixing ruptured lungs and mending a small paper cut. You don't need your soul for everything, you know."

"I guess I do need it now though. Dad, where did you learn magic?"

"I found the barrier, or at least my soul did it. Once we returned from the hospital with you I arranged a search party to try to find Chara. We searched the cave and somehow I spotted the barrier. Something stirred inside me and I felt power flow through me." The man takes a knife out and cuts his hand. He covers it with his other and green energy flows into the wound, closing it.

"I guess I became addicted to it a bit so I didn't tell the others what I had found," the man continues. "I returned many times after with your mother, but only I reacted to it. I first discovered that I could heal when I hit my hand with a hammer. I caressed my finger and noticed that it turned green and warmth enveloped it. After some more time at the barrier I could control it. I kept it secret from everyone except your mother up until the monster attack."

"Mom, you know any magic?"

"No, I tried but it seems that I'm just human," she laughs.

"What do you mean by that?" asks the man.

She gives him a kiss on the cheek. "Nothing, dear."

The table sits in silence, taking in everything that's been said. The fallen human leans back after using the silence to think for a while. "What a mess."

"Yup," agrees the man, "but what can we do?"

"Finish our dinner?" suggests the woman.

"Chara?" wonders the fallen human.

"Only with you, not with them," Chara answers.

"That's OK, I can't expect you to forgive us," says the woman. "Kids, you can come in now."

The table is once again filled and for the first time ever the family eats together.

The meal is finished in silence and a yawn escapes the fallen human as they finish their water.

"Go upstairs with Chara, get some shut eye. You both deserve it. We'll clean this up," promises the man as he pats the fallen human's back.

"Sure, I'm exhausted. Chara?" the fallen human says after another yawn. The child yawns as well and nods. They take their sibling's hand and walk up the stairs.

They crawl in bed together and Chara closes their eyes. The fallen human closes theirs as well. A warm feeling envelops them and they feel their body relax. The door squeaks silently.

"Goodnight, kids. We're so proud of you. Don't worry, we'll take care of you both, for once."

Asriel bleats as the human lunges up gasping for air. Frisk falls over as the soul in their hand is retracted into its home. The human breathes greedily for a bit before taking in their surroundings. They spot the child next to them.

"Frisk?" they ask it. The child nods and the human embraces them,. "Thank you, Frisk! Thank you for saving me!" They release Frisk and turn around. "You must be Asriel."

The small goat nods as well. "It's nice to meet you, but you should probably leave before I-" Asriel stops as he see his hand fading away into dust. "Go! Now! Before I hurt you!"

"Asriel, we'll come back! Frisk and I. We'll find a way to get you back," the fallen human promises.

"No, forget about me! Run away. Please, I don't want to kill you! Don't tell mom or dad that I was alive," Asriel shouts at the humans. A sickly looking liquid escapes this mouth and he falls down on the flowers.

"Get away from me, you idiots," he warns again with an ominous voice that's filled with hatred. A vine shoots out from his convulsing body, but the humans both dodge it in the last second. Frisk tugs at the fallen human and with heavy hearts they both run for the door.

They leave the small goat crying in pain as they run through the ruined corridor. Another vine shoots up beneath them and Frisk falls. The fallen human catches them and continue on while almost dragging Frisk behind them. They remember the puzzles and navigate through them with ease. The withered tree stands as it did the last time they were in the Underground, and the fallen human uses it to block an attacking vine.

An opportunity opens up and they run towards the house behind the tree. With an aching shoulder they slam open the door and close it with equal force. Frisk squirms free and runs into the living room. They shove Sans off the sofa and wake him up. "sup, kiddo. who is this?"

"Hi, skelebro, it's good to see you and all, but we need to shortcut out of here," answers the fallen human.

"um, sure. why though?"

Heavy thuds crash against the door.

"Flowey is two steps behind us. Take us to the surface. Quickly."

Sans looks down at a nodding Frisk. He shrugs his shoulders.

"sure, whatever." He takes both of the humans hands. "you're gonna need to explain this to me later, kiddo."

A breeze passes by and the sun surprises all three of them.

"wow, sure it beautiful up here," Sans comments.

"Yup, where are the others?" the fallen human asks.

"frisk said something about a house close by, i think they went there."

The fallen human points towards the edge of the town under them. "You can see it from here, it's the big one closest to the mountain. Shortcut us there?"

Sans turns to Frisk. "you've got a lot of explaining to do."

Another cold gust of air later the trio stands in front of a wild lawn.

"this yours? looks dusty, why is that?" Sans asks with black eyes.

"Because I'm family with your old acquaintance."

Sans looks at Frisk again. "a lot of explaining, kiddo."

"Later. First let's eat some of your brother's famous spaghetti," the fallen human suggests as they hold the door for Frisk and Sans.

Sans stops. "ok, now i'm a bit scared."

"Now you know how it feels," the human laughs and pats Sans on their back.

They enter the dining room interrupting Alphys' and Undyne talking about anime. They follow the human with their eyes wide open and jaws on the floor. The human seats themselves next to Undyne.

"No jogging this time I'm afraid, Undyne. Is Papyrus in the kitchen?"

Undyne nods and the human excuses themselves. They walk to Papyrus and lower the heat on the spaghetti and the sauce. "So that you don't burn the meat and my house, also add some oil to the spaghetti."

"THANK YOU, NEWLY BEFRIENDED HUMAN!"

"Always a pleasure to help the great Papyrus."

"THE FIRST HUMAN I MEET ON THE SURFACE IS IN MY FAN CLUB! THIS TRULY IS THE BEST ENDING!"

"You can make it better by giving the spaghetti a bit of a stir," the fallen human suggests.

"ANYTHING FOR A FAN!"

The human returns to an even bewildered table. "Spaghetti should be ready any moment now. Undyne, can you inform the royals?"

"Yeah, sure," she says with an unsteady voice. The human sits down and looks out the window. The sun is shining birghtly.

"What do you mean the human knows magic, Undyne?" Asgore's voice questions from the hallway. Undyne helps Asgore lift the sofa to the table before they all take a seat a the table.

"You must be the human that owns this house, it is very beautiful. Thank you for letting us stay in it for the night," Toriel says with a bow.

"No problem, Toriel."

She widens her eyes in surprise. "Oh, you know our names?"

"See, I told you, this human has magic!" Undyne shouts.

"Golly, this is a surprise. I thought humans abandoned magic," Asgore wonders while stroking his beard.

"No, I don't have magic. I just know you even though you don't know me."

"Then I hope we can get to know you as good as you seem to know us," Toriel says with the same warmth as she had the first time they met.

Your overworked microwave ding and the dining room goes quiet.

"BREAD IS DONE! NOW EVERYONE! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL BESTOW UNTO YOU THIS MAGNIFICENT SPAGHETTI!" Papyrus proudly proclaims as he enters with a big pot. It smells nice, he listened to your suggestions, again. He serves the table with glee.

"Wow, Papyrus, this is really good," says a surprised Undyne.

"THE HUMAN HELPED ME! THE BIG ONE THAT IS!"

"No problem, Pap," the big human smiles as they swallow.

"You know so much of us yet we know nothing about you? Who are you?" Asgore asks.

The fallen human lifts another fork of spaghetti. "Family."

"And what's your name?"

The human swallows and the cooked spaghetti goes down without any hiccups.

"My name? I'm Aofil."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank very much for reading. This story is part 1 of the One falls anthology and the "normal" ending is now upon us. [The story continues in part 2: More rose, one remains.](https://archiveofourown.org/works/8324611/chapters/19065982)
> 
> If you want, the One Falls anthology has a channel in the [Fanfic Paradise Discord server.](https://discord.gg/sXVXy7w) I frequent it daily, so if you fancy, feel free to join. Be seeing you there!
> 
>  
> 
> [Thanks again to BlackRazorBill for their wonderful art.](http://blackrazorbill.tumblr.com/post/154855004022/travelling-through-the-mist-of-your-memories)

**Author's Note:**

> If you want, the One Falls anthology has a channel in the [Fanfic Paradise Discord server.](https://discord.gg/sXVXy7w) I frequent it daily, so if you fancy, feel free to join. Be seeing you there!


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